


Loves Sacrifices

by Slytherinsheadbitch91



Category: Criminal Minds, NCIS
Genre: Abuse, Age Regression/De-Aging, Death, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Past Rape/Non-con, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-12-06 14:07:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 29
Words: 88,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11602215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherinsheadbitch91/pseuds/Slytherinsheadbitch91
Summary: A Criminal Minds fanfiction set some time within Season 7.Please note that JJ never got with Will and Henry was never born.When the BAU team go in hunt of a serial killer after Mother's and their young daughters Emily and JJ meet Fia, a 22 year old woman who had regressed back to the age of 2. What happens when they adopt her and raise her as their own child?A/NNCIS crossover starts in Chapter 26 it is still a majority Criminal Minds Fanfic





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N  
> This is my first fanfic that I've posted! I've done it for Camp NaNo so I hope you like it.  
> Thanks to Izzy for Beta'ing for me

Chapter 1

As the sun peeked in the window and threw itself onto the wall of the bedroom Emily Prentiss slowly sat up and stretched. She looked down at the still sleeping form of her girlfriend JJ and smiled softly, bending over to kiss the top of her head before slipping out of bed and heading down to the kitchen.  
She was busy making waffles for them when her mobile rang, groaning she picked it up and answered it without looking at the ID.  
“Prentiss.” She said in her professional, clipped tone. “Yeah OK Garcia, see you in 20, yeah I’m going to wake her up don’t worry. Love you Pen.” She rolled her eyes and stuck the batter in the fridge before going back into the bedroom to wake JJ up.  
“Jayje?” She said softly, gently rousing the blonde. “Jayje, come on babe, we gotta go into work.”  
“Go away.” Came the grumbled, sleepy, response from the pile of covers JJ had buried herself under after Emily had vacated the bed.  
OK so it was obvious that the softly-softly approach wasn’t going to work this morning so dirty tactics had to be utilized. Emily walked to the foot of the bed and took hold of the corners of the covers and tugged, hard, pulling them completely off of JJ and throwing them out of the bedroom into the hallway. JJ let out a groan and curled into herself still flatly refusing to get out of bed.  
“If you aren’t out of bed in the next 30 seconds I’m getting the jug.” Emily warned her, moving towards the en-suite bathroom to fill up the threatened jug with ice-cold water.  
With that JJ shot up and all but threw herself out of the bed, landing on the hard wooden floor with a rather loud bang. She let out a huff and looked up at the face of her dark haired girlfriend smirking at her from the doorway of her en-suite.  
“Emily Elizabeth Prentiss you are such a brat!” She scolded before pulling herself up off the floor, crossing the bedroom in a few short strides and winding her arms around the shorter woman’s middle. “Mmmm morning.” She sighed kissing her softly.  
“Good morning.” Emily giggled. “Look we gotta go, Pen called, we got a case and it sounds like a bad one.” She added in a more serious tone.  
“Five minutes and I’ll be good to go, you got our go bags?” She replied, looking around for some clean clothes to start getting dressed.  
“Way ahead of you honey, I packed new ones and put them in the car yesterday.” The dark haired woman said, pulling her own clothes on and dragging a brush through her hair.

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20 minutes later and Emily swung her SUV into the parking lot at the FBI headquarters and parked next to the car her partner on the team Derek Morgan drove.The women exited the car and walked to the elevator that took them up to the bullpen they and the rest of the BAU worked in.  
“Conference room 5 minutes.” Morgan said by way of greeting them as they stepped out, handing each of them a coffee.  
“Morgan you are my hero.” JJ said smiling at the man as she took the coffee. “Someone pulled the covers off of me this morning.” She shot a mock glare at Emily who held her hands up, one of them holding her own coffee cup.  
“She refused to get up, I tried the nice way but then I had to play dirty.” She said, looking at Morgan who gave the girls one of his trademark smiles.  
“Prentiss you make my heart hurt when you say things like that.” Morgan quipped not noticing Garcia walking up behind him.  
“Is my God of chocolate thunder bothering you my loves?” Penelope Garcia, the unit’s resident tech geek, asked walking over to them and swatting playfully at the only male currently stood there.  
“Now don’t hurt me like that baby girl,” Morgan replied, putting his arm around the great beauty that had joined them. “Besides Prentiss was telling me how she woke Jayje over here up.” He smirked as JJ’s face turned a shade of dark red. Emily smiled and put her arm around JJ mimicking the posture of Morgan and Garcia opposite them.  
“Okay kids break it up!” David Rossi called across from the door to the conference room. “This is work, not the local hot make out spot.” He said, the smile on his face evident even from the 30 or so feet away that he stood from them.  
Several mumbles of “Coming Mom,” followed the group as they walked to the conference room, they greeted Spencer and Hotch and all of them settled around the large table.

“Okay my loves,” Garcia started as she passed the files around the table to each of them. “Today you’ll be jetting off to sunny Pensacola, Florida. The city has been rocked by a string of abductions and murders; of mothers along with their small daughters, all seeming to be under the age of 5.”  
“Mothers and daughters?” Spencer questioned. “ Most individuals will abduct one or the other, not both. This wouldn’t fit a profile of family exterminators, but at the same time the unsub doesn't come across as your typical sex offender either.” He continued, musing aloud.  
“There may be a chance that the unsub is a preferential sex offender and takes either the mother or daughter as leverage to ensure the true victim’s compliance?” Hotch said, looking around at his team who seemed to be on his train of thought.  
“Based on that assumption, it would be one unsub working alone.” Emily put in. “But what if it’s a partnership? The mother for one unsub and the daughter for the other?”  
The group of profilers winced, hardly bearing to entertain the idea of it being a partnership where one unsub was a pedophile and the other was the enabler of that sick desire. They sat in silence mulling over the files in front of them and trying to come up with plausible ways they could start working on tracking the unsub or, as one theory suggested, unsubs.  
“Wheels up in 20.” Hotch finally said and the team split off to do their own pre-flight routines. “Garcia, I want you to come with us.”  
“Oh, uh yes Sir.” Garcia replied, not used to travelling with her friends and colleges, she was much happier being behind the scenes and working with her babies in her little office tucked away in the depths of the BAU.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

An hour and a half later the jet landed on the airstrip in Pensacola and the team all piled out, yawning and stretching.  
“Morgan, Reid, you guys head to the latest dump site, Prentiss, I want you to take JJ and go to the ME’s office to find out what the autopsies have revealed, the rest of us will head to the precinct and link up with the Sergeant there.” Hotch said, dividing up the immediate tasks.  
The group nodded and split up, each of the smaller groups taking one of the three SUV’s parked there and heading to the different locations.

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20 minutes later Morgan and Reid pulled up to the parking lot of a park. The area surrounding the park was wooded and the park itself was around 200 feet away from the parking lot, it was down the hill accessed via a graveled path that was very uneven and not easy to get down. Something Reid proved with ease as he tripped over and slid down 20 foot of path, he picked himself up and dusted himself off, praying Morgan hadn’t seen him fall over.  
Morgan had seen him but ignored it so as not to embarrass the boy genius.  
“Okay so the dumpsite is in a public area.” Morgan noted, looking around at the large park area he and Reid were stood in the middle of. “This means he’s bold, he can guarantee he won’t be seen dumping the bodies.”  
“It’s off the beaten track though.” Reid noted, looking around. “He’d have to be fit to carry the bodies from the parking lot to here.”  
The parking lot in question was around 200 feet to the left of them. The path was graveled and uneven so carrying a body over it wasn’t going to be easy.  
Morgan nodded in agreement “Yeah I’d have issues carrying something down that path let alone a body, he’d most likely have done it after dark as well, that’ll make it harder for him.” Both men stood there looking confused. “This of course gives more indication that there is two unsubs not just one but it’s still possible that it’s just the one.”  
“There’s no discernible evidence to suggest how he dumped the bodies or why he dumped them here.” Reid said thoughtfully. “I can’t see the appeal, unless he wanted them to be found and rather quickly as well.”  
“You think he’s mocking the police? Daring them to track him down?” Morgan suggested.

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Meanwhile, at the ME’s office, Emily and JJ were studying the bodies of the latest victims.  
“OK so they both look similar, brown hair and dark brown eyes.” JJ said, glancing at Emily who looked eerily similar to the adult laid out on the autopsy table in front of them.  
“The wounds are deep, it suggests some serious rage on the unsubs part.” Emily added, casually ignoring the fact that she did look just like the woman on the table. “Could that be sexually motivated?” She questioned the ME who stood with them.  
“I don’t think so as there does not appear to be any damage to the vaginal cavity and no fluids were present in or around the area.” The ME replied. “It shows a lot of overkill though, this woman we’re looking at now was stabbed almost 70 times.It was the second wound here.” She pointed to a 3-inch stab wound on the woman’s neck, “that was the fatal cut. But the removal of the fingerprints and identifying features shows that the unsub doesn't want us to know who they are.”  
Both women looked at each other, this was going to be a long case.

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Later that evening the team walked into one of the local bars to have some much needed down time. They hadn’t got a firm profile yet but they were well on the way to having one.  
“That’s it, we’re off the clock all talk of work or the case will result in penalty shots!” Morgan said, looking to each of his friends in turn. Rossi and Hotch had chosen to sit this drinking session out; Hotch wanted to call and talk to Jack, and Rossi, well he wasn’t one for messy drinking.  
“Oh it is so on.” Emily smirked, she loved a challenge and any chance she had to drink Morgan under the table was welcomed.  
“JJ control your woman.” Garcia giggled, buying the first round of large cocktails the girls drank with pints of beer for both Morgan and Reid.  
“Not a chance Garcia, once those two make a bet there’s no stopping them.” JJ grinned back, swatting playfully at her girlfriend and Morgan, both of whom wore identical looks of pure innocence. “Yeah and you ain't fooling anyone you know.” She added pointedly “You two are far from innocent, even less so when you get together drinking.”  
Emily and Morgan both averted their gaze, knowing that JJ had a point. The other three chuckled and Garcia handed out the drinks.

If anyone were to look at the group, all sat round a table in the corner chatting and joking with each other, they wouldn’t think that under any normal circumstances they’d get on as all five of them were wildly different.  
First off there was Derek Morgan, a 6 foot 1, gentle giant, all muscle and charm but a true softy under the hard exterior. He looked like the type of guy that would be a player, picking up a different woman every time he went out, and he certainly got offers, but he only had eyes for one woman.  
Penelope Garcia, the woman of Derek Morgan’s dreams, a 5 foot 7, bubbly redhead, hiding her painful teen years behind the unwavering smile she wore. She is the glue that holds them all together, with her hugs and love of all things fluffy and random. Anyone who was sad or having problems after a particularly hard case would head down to Garcia for cheering up. In all honesty, she looks like a child in an adult body and she embraces it to the full.  
Sat next to Garcia was the lanky and awkward boy genius, Dr Spencer Reid, although the same height as Morgan, Reid couldn’t look more different. He was a beanpole with an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, the ability to read 20,000 words per minute. It was his lack of social understanding and unique perspective of the world that made him so loveable and endearing within the team. Of the five sat there, at least three of them saw him as a baby brother of sorts, it was Morgan he wasn’t sure about as there were times where he thought he may have been harbouring a crush on him but never said anything.  
Next came the 5 foot 5, blonde bombshell that was Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau, a small town girl in the big city was the best way to describe her but she never let that stop her. She had started out as Media Liaison Officer for the team; there was something about the blonde hair and blue eyes that made people instantly trust her. From there she worked hard and watched the rest of her team make the profiles and catch the unsubs. She’d been on her share of busts when the need arose, but now she was a fully fledged profiler and she couldn’t be further from her small town upbringing she had fought so hard to escape from.  
Lastly there was Emily Prentiss, a 5 foot 8, take no prisoners, shoot first, ask questions later brunette. She was most definitely a force to be reckoned with and, although generally mild mannered, when provoked she was like a lion; ferocious and deadly. Growing up as the daughter of one of the U.S. ambassador’s meant that Emily often came across as prim and proper and as Garcia affectionately referred to her, the resident bull dyke of the BAU. The truth of course is far from how she presents herself. She’s good at compartmentalizing her emotions and has thick walls that others have to break down before she’ll relax and open up to anyone, something each one of her team members has now managed to do, but none more than JJ of course. JJ is the resident ‘Emily expert’ and is well versed in the moods and musings of her beloved girlfriend.  
Yet here they were, all five of them sat round that one table drinking seemingly without a care in the world.

As the evening wore on both Emily and Reid had managed to do several penalty shots between them much to Morgan’s glee. Mostly it was Reid that suddenly blurted something out so he didn’t forget where his trail of thought was going and Emily, being well Emily, joined in with her own ideas relating to what Reid had said. Garcia had slipped up once or twice, as had Morgan, amazingly JJ was the only one of the group that had resisted shop talk and therefore was still relatively sober.  
“Ok my loves, it’s time to hit the sack, it’s almost 2am and didn’t Hotch say he wanted to hit the ground running in the morning?” Garcia said in between a mixture of hiccups and giggles. “Hotch gave me the room keys before I left the office. As always our lovely power girl couple are in one room, Reid, you and Morgan are supposed to be sharing another, and I’m meant to have the last room, but Hotch and Rossi have already taken bets that me and you are going to trade so I can be in with my chocolate God.” She finished with a smile and wink at them all.  
“Um yes, I uh I do think that us switching is a good idea.” Reid said, a dark blush spreading across his cheeks. “As I’m assuming that by taking bets, Hotch is perfectly ok with that situation I’d much prefer it. If you don’t mind of course?”  
“Wow Reid, for a boy genius you can be awfully thick sometimes.” Emily teased gently, causing Reid to go a darker shade of red and look down at his feet. “Cheers Pen, just chuck the…” No sooner had she started to ask the question, Garcia threw the keys at her and in her slightly drunken state she missed the catch and the keys hit her in the face, resulting in a chuckle going through the group.  
JJ smiled and put a supporting arm around her girlfriend. “Come on you, before I have to carry you out fireman style.” Another chuckle went around them as Emily joined Reid in going a dark red color.  
The group dispersed and all made their way back to the hotel and to the rooms. None of them thinking much beyond the large comfortable beds that they all hoped were waiting for them. It had been a long day for them all and now they just wanted to sleep.  
When they got into the room both Emily and JJ collapsed onto the bed, neither of them bothering to get undressed, just kicking their shoes off and all but instantly falling asleep, the taller brunette curling around the shorter frame of the blonde in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Sorry this took time to get out! I had problems editing it ><
> 
> Hopefully I can get the next chapter out faster


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next morning the team gathered around the table in the command center they had set up at the local precinct to discuss what they had found out the day before.  
“Well, Morgan and I have come to the conclusion that the Unsub has to be mobile, with access to a vehicle such as a Range Rover or large SUV.” Reid started, looking to Morgan who nodded and took over.  
“He also has to be physically fit to carry the bodies the 200 feet from the track to his dump site.” He said. “Suggesting that we’re looking for a well built male, around 6 feet tall. Though from what we found we still can’t rule out two unsubs.”  
“Okay, Emily, JJ what did you guys find out at the ME’s office?” Hotch asked, turning to the women.  
“There’s evidence of serious overkill on all the mother's bodies.” JJ said thinking back to what had been said. “The daughter’s bodies barely had any marks on them, apart from the slit across the necks, which the ME determined was the COD. No evidence of sexual assault on any of the victims which, if I’m honest, I’m eternally grateful for.”  
“The other thing to note is all of the women were brunettes with dark brown eyes, same with the girls.” Emily added. “Also he removed the fingerprints of all of them along with any identifying features each of victims may have had.”  
“So he’s smart, uses forensic countermeasures?” Rossi cut in, a look of concern on his face. “We may well have a hard time catching this guy.”  
“Well my loves, thankfully yours truly spent her time yesterday looking at all of the missing persons reports since the murders started.” Garcia said passing round the list of potential victims. The list was mercifully shorter than it could have been. “There are around 60 mother and daughter pairs that have gone missing from Pensacola and the surrounding areas, of which I narrowed it down to 40 based on the age of the daughter’s, and with the information you’ve just given me Em, we can narrow it down more, I just need some time to do that.”  
“Ok, this is all good stuff; it’s a start. Reid, Rossi I want you to work on a geographic profile; try and pinpoint where this guy hunts and where he’s likely to be living and keeping them between abduction and the murders themselves. Morgan, you help Garcia narrow down our victim pool. Emily and JJ, I want you to look at the ME reports and see if you can pick up anything you may have missed yesterday.” Hotch said, giving them all jobs to do. “I’m going to go and have a word with the Sergeant and see if we can get a preliminary profile out to his officers this afternoon.”  
A few hours later the team regrouped to try and put together a preliminary profile and share what else they’d found.  
“Ok so it looks like we’re looking for a white male, between twenty-five and forty years old, height between 5 foot 8 and 6 foot 2, with a large truck, well built, possibly a regular at a local gym.” Hotch recited while the rest of the team nodded. “Rossi, Reid how are you doing with the geographical profile?”  
“Well we’ve narrowed it down to within a 50 mile radius from Goulding.” Reid said, “Once we’ve narrowed down the potential victims from the missing persons, and we can figure out where they were abducted from, we can narrow it down some more.”  
“We are still working on that.” Garcia chimed in, biting the top of her pen as she continued to look at the list in front of her. “So far, we’ve got it down to about 30 but it’s taking some time to track down records and the like. Some of them have now turned up and the missing persons reports haven’t been updated yet so there’s that as well.”  
“Bad news guys.” JJ said, walking in and closing her mobile. “Another mother and daughter have turned up down by the Wildlife Sanctuary; it fits the MO of our guy.” They all looked at her, identical looks of frustration on each of their faces.  
“He’s changed his dump site.” Emily said “How can we be sure it’s still him?”  
“We disturbed his site in Bill Gregory park, it makes sense he’d move it.” Morgan pointed out. “Though looking at the map it’s not far from the original dump site; they’re only a mile apart.”  
“That may suggest that he lives in that area.” Reid said thoughtfully, also turning to look at the map and marking off the new dump site. “There’s a heavily built up area of housing so it may be that he lives in one of those.”  
“I don’t think so Reid, unless he has a secondary place to keep them in the time between abduction and dumping them?” JJ said, slowly. “Though it is of course possible.” She bit her lip and looked around to Hotch for guidance on where to go next with the investigation.  
“Emily, JJ head down to the new dump site, tell them not to move the bodies until you get there, there may be clues around.” Hotch directed. “Rossi you help Morgan narrow down the victim pool, Reid go back over the map and see if you can narrow down the geographical profile some more with this new information and Garcia?” He paused to give Garcia time to process the fact he was talking directly to her.  
“Oh uh yes sir?” She said, her head snapping up from the list and files to look at him.  
“Pull up a list of residents within a 2 mile radius of the original dumpsite and run background checks on them, start with those that own a second property in the area in a more secluded location.” Hotch told her.  
“Your wish is my command!” Garcia said and left the room to go and find a computer to use.  
“Ok everyone let’s roll. We want to catch this bastard before he has a chance to take anyone else.” Hotch finished and dismissed the team who instantly got to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

“I’m Special Agent Emily Prentiss, this is Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, but please call her JJ.” Emily said, smiling at the officer who watched them approaching the crime scene.  
“I’m Officer Angela Wilson but you can call me Angie.” The woman replied, holding her hand out for them to shake in turn. “Hope you ladies have strong stomachs, this is a bad one.”   
“Oh trust me, we’ve seen almost everything, there’s not much that can shock us anymore.” JJ replied, looking down to the hive of activity going on around the bodies.  
The three of them walked down to where the mother and daughter lay, the daughter was placed on her mother’s chest with her mother’s arms positioned protectively around her.   
“This pair seem to be older than the others.” Emily mused, crouching down to gently brush the hair off of the girls face. “She looks to be about 7 or 8, all of the others have been between 2 and 5.”  
“That’s odd, why change the age range of the child?” JJ countered. “Unless it’s the mother’s he’s after and Hotch was right in thinking that he took the girls to ensure the compliance of the mothers?”  
“There’s something else as well.” Angie said, standing next to JJ, “He didn’t take the prints this time, we managed to get ID’s from them both.”  
“Who are they?” Emily asked, looking down at them, her heart breaking a little at the obvious waste of life.   
“The mother’s name is Sara Stuart and her daughter is called Samantha.” Angie replied. “Sara is 28 and Samantha is 8. They went missing 2 weeks ago after spending a day at the beach, Sara’s husband David reported them missing, he’s at home with Sara’s son Matthew.”   
“So David isn’t the kids father?” JJ asked, making mental notes of the situation to tell the guys when they got back.  
Angie shook her head. “No Sara split up with her first husband Barry just after Samantha was born, David has been there since she was about 2.” The women looked at each other and Angie could tell that they were all thinking the same thing.   
“I’ll go call Hotch and tell him what we’ve got.” JJ said and Emily nodded, turning back to the bodies.  
“There’s signs of major overkill on Sara, wich ties in with the previous adult victims, the only difference is that Samantha is older.” Emily said, looking to Angie for confirmation. “He made his first mistake as well, he left the fingerprints and identifying features behind, something he hasn’t done until now. There’s also the placement of the bodies, the way they’ve been laid out shows remorse for the crime, again not something that follows.” Just then JJ returned, shaking her head.  
“Barry is not our guy.” JJ said. “He hasn’t been in the country at the times of any of the abductions or murders, he has an ironclad alibi.”   
“Well I guess it’s good we can rule him out but at the same time it puts us back to square one.” Emily replied. “What do we do now?” She looked up at JJ, wondering if Hotch had given them any further instructions.  
“He’s asked Pen to send us a list of possible unsubs to go and interview, it is thankfully a short list.” JJ said, checking her PDA to see if the list had arrived yet. “We’ve got a list of five so far so hopefully it won’t take that long then Hotch has said he wants us back at the precinct to help give the profile, that is if one of these people don’t flag anything up.”  
Emily nodded and stood up, turning to Angie. “Can you have the ME fax over the results of the autopsies when they come in please?” Once she got the confirmation that that was fine and hopefully the results would be there by the time they got back the pair turned and left.

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Emily and JJ walked up to the last house on the list, almost three hours after they had started the interviews with the five potential unsubs.   
“Mr Greengrass?” JJ called, as she rang the doorbell. She paused for a moment before pressing the bell a second time. “Mr Greengrass?” She turned to Emily and bit her lip. “No answer, maybe he…” But before she was able to finish the thought they heard movement from within.  
Drawing her gun Emily signalled silently that she was going to go round the back and that JJ should wait for her to tell her she was in position via the 2-ways they wore. JJ nodded and pulled her own gun.   
“Be carefull Em.” She whispered as Emily nodded and headed round to the back of the house.  
“Ok, I’m in position, ready?” Emily spoke into the 2-way, bracing herself to kick the back door down to get access.  
“Ready.” JJ replied, also bracing herself. “On three, one, two, THREE!”   
Both women kicked the doors down simultaneously and entered with shouts of “FBI!” They went from room to room downstairs clearing each of them until the met in the hallway.   
“I’ll go down to basement and you go and check the bedrooms.” Emily said, still holding her gun out in front of her.   
“Ok, keep in contact via the 2-way.” JJ replied, slowly inching her way up the stairs to the bedrooms.  
As she entered the dark basement, Emily pulled her flashlight from her belt and switched it on, shining ahead of her to look around. As alert as she was she didn’t hear someone creep out of the shadows and stick her with a needle filled with Thiopental, instantly rendering her unconscious. As she started to fall to the floor the assailant scooped her up and hid her in the shadows before seeking out JJ and striking her over the head with a baseball bat, knocking her out cold.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W   
> This is the chapter where Age regression comes in, I hope I've dealt with it in a sensitive manner.

Chapter 5

“Has anyone spoken to Emily and JJ?” Hotch asked, noting the time and growing concerned.  
“JJ texted me about an hour ago to tell me they were just at the last house to talk to Mr Greengrass and they hopefully weren’t going to be that long.” Garcia said, double checking her mobile to make sure her times were correct. “I’ll give her a call now to see how it’s going.” She stood up and left the room for a moment before coming back in frowning. “It’s switched off, that’s not like JJ.”  
“Let’s go give them some backup it seems like they need it.” Hotch said, standing up and checking his gun was in place. “I want all of you to be on your guard, this could get nasty.”  
As Morgan walked past Garcia he saw the worry on her face and smiled at her. “Don’t worry baby girl, we’ll bring our girls home.” He said to reassure her. She nodded but it didn’t stop her from worrying about her best friends.  
“I’ve sent the address to your PDA’s, be carefull my loves.” Garcia said as she watched them go, biting her lip and spinning around in her chair. 

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Emily blinked as she started to come round, her head was pounding and she was disorientated. She had no idea what had happened or where she was now. Panic struck her as she realized she was tied to a bed and it took her a few moments to calm herself down. She looked around trying to figure out where she was and if there was any way out of her predicament.   
“Hewwo?” A small voice called out from the darkness.   
“Hello?” Emily called back, looking around to try and figure out where the voice had come from.  
A young woman slowly crawled into her line of site and Emily gasped. The woman was so skinny and her clothes hung off her and were filthy but there was something odd about her.   
“What’s your name?” Emily asked softly, not wanting to spook her. “And how old are you?”  
“I called Fia and I dis many.” She held up 2 fingers indicating she was 2 years old. Emily frowned as she looked at her, it was obvious the woman was much older than she believed herself to be.  
“You're 2 are you?” Emily said, smiling as much as she was able to in the pain she was in but she didn’t want to scare her. “And you're called Fia? Is that short for Sophia?”   
The woman nodded happily and grinned at Emily. “Uh huh! I Fia!” She said and moved closer to Emily. “Is you gonna be my new Mommy?” She asked, a look of childish innocence on her face.  
Emily blinked a little, she wasn’t sure what to say or think of this strange situation, not that she let it show and she smiled once more. “Is that what you want? A Mommy?” She asked softly.  
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Ess pees!” She said bouncing a little. “I awways wanted a Mommy.” She added, her childlike manner coming out even more now.   
“Fia, sweety can you tell me something? Have you seen other Mommies around? Or maybe children? Little girls like you?” Emily asked, not wanting to press too much as it was obvious that Fia was extremely vulnerable. The woman’s face dropped and her brow furrowed.   
“Wat peepels?” Fia asked. Deep down she was aware that her other half was bad and abusive but Fia didn’t know anything about it, all she was aware of was that she was being kept here by a scary man, it was Sophia that had the information the other woman wanted but she was well and truly hidden, far too scared to surface. As Fia she was safe, no one would hurt a tiny baby rite?  
“Okay Fia, do you know where we are?” She asked, hoping the simple question would help her relax.   
Fia shook her head slowly. “Sowwy I no awwoed outside.” She said sadly, looking down at her lap.  
“Hey hey no that’s ok baby girl, you’re doing so well.” Emily said, smiling at her. “Is there anything you can tell me?” She watched as Fia thought for a moment. “Take your time honey, there’s no rush.”  
Fia nodded and bit her lip. “Dere bees a scawey man.” She whispered, her body starting to shake.  
“There’s a scary man?” Emily repeated, just to make sure she’d heard her properly. Fia nodded. “Do you know who he is?” Fia shook her head. “Do you know what he looks like?”  
“He big wif brown hair an eyes.” She said.  
“Big? Is he tall?” Emily asked. “Or big as in fat?”  
“Tall.” Fia said firmly. “He hurted me.” She added, looking down once more.  
“He hurts you?” Emily’s brow furrowed. “How sweety? Can you tell me?”  
Fia shook her head and pulled back, curling up into a ball and rocking. She started crying and shaking her head more. Emily’s eyes went wide and she struggled against the bonds tying her to the bed.  
“Fia baby it’s ok, can you come back to me sweety?” She said, trying to soothe her the best she could without being able to hold her. “Fia, listen to my voice ok? You’re ok, you’re safe, I’m here.”   
Fia stopped crying but was still shaking and couldn’t look up at Emily. She was so far inside her own head, memories of the man she was so scared of hurting her. “No no me no baby.” She whimpered.  
Emily tugged again and one of the ropes tied to her wrist came loose and she was able to get herself free, she moved off the bed and slowly approached the woman and gently put her hand on her back. Fia instantly tensed under her touch before she realized that it was a soft touch, meant to soothe and comfort, and slowly relaxed into her touch.  
“There you go, good girl, now can you look at me?” Emily said softly as the small woman curled into her. Slowly Fia looked up at her, her big brown eyes red from crying. Emily smiled down at her and held her close, stroking her hair to calm her completely. “Hi little one.” She said softly.  
“I sowwy pwees no hit.” Fia said whimpering. Emily’s heart broke as she watched her and shook her head.   
“No baby, never hit ok?” She said softly. Fia nodded and finally settled down, falling asleep in Emily’s arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Meanwhile across town....  
“Morgan, Reid, take the back, Rossi and I will take the front.” Hotch said, all of them had guns drawn and nodded. “I want everyone to keep in contact and stick together, first sign of trouble I want everyone out, Do you understand?” three yes’s from his team and they moved into position.  
“Hotch?” Morgan said into the 2-way,  
“Yeah Morgan what’s up?” The reply came swiftly.  
“Hotch, the back door is busted in, I’m not sure if it was Prentiss and JJ or someone else.” Morgan said.  
“Ok, proceed with caution and keep Reid close to you, clear all the rooms between you and the staircase and then head upstairs to check the bedrooms.” Hotch replied.  
“You got it, we’re going in.” Morgan said as he stormed in. “FBI!” He shouted as they moved into the kitchen. As they went from room to room they didn’t find any signs of Emily, JJ or Mr Greengrass. “The downstairs is clear. Hotch, we’re headed up to the bedrooms.” Morgan said as Reid moved past him up the stairs.  
Reid moved slowly up towards the landing when he spotted a blonde head of hair. “JJ?” He called “JJ? SHIT! MORGAN!” He sprinted up to towards JJ and heard Morgan run up after him.  
“Oh no no no.” Morgan said as he reached JJ first. “No no come on JJ don’t do this to me.” He saw the wound on her head and swore. “Hotch? Hotch! We got JJ but she’s unconscious, no sign of Emily. Get the EMT’s up here now!”   
Hotch rang the EMT’s while Rossi charged in and went to see JJ for himself.  
“Any signs of Emily?” Rossi asked looking at the others, who both shook their heads.  
The EMT’s rushed in and Rossi pulled Morgan out of the way so they could get to her easier. “What’s her name?” One of them asked, pulling out a pencil torch to shine in her eyes.   
“JJ, her name is JJ.” Reid replied. “Jennifer Jareau but we all call her JJ”   
“Ok. JJ? JJ can you open your eyes for me?” The female EMT said, gently shaking her but with no response. “Do we have any idea what happened?” She asked, looking to Reid as he was the only one that seemed to be able to voice anything.  
“No, none of us were here to witness it. We’re not sure precisely how long she’s been unconscious for either; it’s possible that she’s been out for around 45 minutes to an hour.” He replied, brows furrowing as worry set in.  
“Ok we need a collar and spinal board up here, and we need to get a line in for fluids as well.” The woman said, “Can one of you come and hold her head still until we can get the collar on her please?”  
Reid nodded and moved towards JJ’s head, placing his hands on either side of it to keep it still before looking at Morgan who was pacing like a caged tiger. “Go and see if you can find Em.” Reid said gently.   
Morgan nodded and went to search the other rooms on the landing before returning and shaking his head. “I’m gonna go check the basement, I think I saw a door down there.” He said, looking to Reid who nodded.  
“I’m coming with you.” Rossi said, “Good work kiddo.” He smiled at Reid as the EMT came back with the collar and spinal board.   
Reid moved out of the way to let the EMT back to where JJ was lying and moved down her body a little to hold her hand. “JJ, it’s Reid, I’m here.” He said softly, unsure if she was able to hear what he was saying.  
Morgan and Rossi went down to the basement and checked it out.   
“Rossi look at this.” Morgan said, bending down. “Someone was down here.” He pointed at the marks in the dust by the stairwell. “I can’t tell if it’s Prentiss but someone was sat here. No, hang on, there’s another set of shoe prints here as well, look.” He pointed at a set of shoe prints and Rossi nodded.  
“Male, definitely, maybe a size 13 shoe?” Rossi agreed, bending down to look where Morgan was pointing. “Though I’m not sure if the second person was sitting or was slumped unconscious.” He mused, then he looked more under the stairwell and spotted a syringe. “Morgan I think I’ve got something.” He said and pulled some gloves out of his pocket, pulling them on and picking up the syringe carefully.   
Morgan followed suit and pulled on some gloves, taking the syringe from Rossi and examining it. “Blood.” He said, holding it up in the dim light. “Think it’s Em’s?”  
“It may be, we should take it up to Hotch so he can send it off for evidence.” Rossi said, looking at Morgan who nodded in agreement.   
“Let’s go check on JJ, when she wakes up she may be able to tell us what happened to Em.” Morgan said and headed back up to the main house.  
“Hotch we found something.” Rossi said as they rejoined the rest of the team. “We found a syringe with blood on it, it may be Emily’s. We think she may have been abducted.”  
Hotch pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialed Garcia’s number.   
“Oracle of Quantico, speak and ye shall be heard.” Garcia’s voice sang down the line.  
“Garcia, it’s Hotch, we’ve got a situation.” Hotch said, not bothering with the small talk.”I need you to try and trace Emily’s cell and tell me where she is.”  
“Oh um ok.” She said, the sound of her keyboard tapping frantically. “Um Sir? Her mobile is off, I can’t get a location on it.”  
Hotch took a deep breath before he replied. “Ok do you have a last known location?” He pressed, desperate to find out as much as he could.  
“Um yes Sir, the last cell tower it pinged off was about three miles from your current location.  
“Ok send it to our PDA’s. JJ is being taken to the hospital, she’s unconscious with a head wound but the EMT’s are saying she’s going to be ok.” Hotch said, breaking the news to her, he heard her gasp and continued. “Go to the hospital and meet her there, please keep us updated.”  
“I will Sir, Garcia out.” She said and hung up.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Get up you little bitch!” The shadowy form spat at Fia, still sleeping, curled up in Emily’s arms.  
Fia sat bolt upright, fear etched on her face as she looked up at him. “No no hit pees no hit!” She said, burying her face in Emily’s chest.  
“You stupid slut! I thought I’d told you to drop that stupid ‘baby’ obsession of yours.” He said as he moved into the dim light.  
“Can’t you see she’s scared?” Emily glared up at him. “She’s absolutely terrified right now and you shouting at her and calling her names isn’t going to help!”  
“Don’t talk to me, you stupid bitch.” He spat at her, his face turning red with fury. “You have no idea what’s going on here; she’s pathetic and worthless.” Fia simply whimpered, still clinging to Emily, who did her best to soothe her.  
“Shhh sweetheart it’s ok, I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.” Emily cooed gently.  
The man sneered down at them, he shook his head. “You honestly think you can protect her?” He smirked. “You can’t even protect yourself, you're as worthless as she is.” He kicked Fia in the back and spat on them both. “I’m not even sure why I’m bothering with either of you.”  
“Then let us go.” Emily half pleaded. “I’ve done nothing to you and I’m sure Fia hasn’t either.”  
“No I good girl.” Fia whimpered, burying her face further into Emily’s chest.  
“You are so full of shit!” He glared down at her. “You are 22 fucking years old and yet you act like a baby, wearing diapers and begging any woman you see to be your ‘Mommy’. It’s disgusting.”  
Emily’s breath hitched and she felt a strange sensation in her chest. “She’s hurting, can’t you tell that, it all stems from years of abuse! Probably most of that from you!” She held Fia as close to her as was physically possible. 

Outside Hotch and the rest of the team had gathered at the door to the run down house and were gearing up to raid it.   
“Same as last time. Morgan, Reid you take the back, Rossi and I will take the front. Everyone be on your guard. We have no idea if the unsub is in there or any other pairs of mother’s and daughter’s.” Hotch instructed.  
“You got it Hotch, let's go in there and get our girl back.” Morgan said, a look of determination on his face.   
Morgan and Reid headed round the back while Hotch and Rossi prepared to go in the front. “Sean Greengrass? This is the FBI open up!” Hotch said, banging on the front door. When no answer came he spoke into the 2-way. “On my count. One, two, three!” He counted and Rossi kicked the front door down as Morgan kicked in the back one.  
“Clear!” Reid yelled as he and Morgan entered the back of the house.  
“Clear!” Hotch yelled as well as he and Rossi entered into the hallway, Hotch turning to the left and entering the dining room, Rossi right into the living room.  
“Clear!” Morgan said as he entered the kitchen before Reid entered a small room that seemed to be a storage room.  
“Clear!” He yelled from the room, before walking back out to Morgan.  
There was a bang from upstairs and the team ran up to try and discover the source of the noise.  
“FBI!” Hotch yelled as he took the lead.  
“Hotch?” Emily called out. “Hotch! We’re up here!” She was still holding Fia in her arms though the unsub had walked out and locked the door behind him.  
Morgan heard the shout and moved towards the sound of the voice. “Em? Em where you at baby girl?”  
“Morgan I think he’s got us in the attic!” Emily called back as loudly as she could. “The doors locked and he’s gone so look out.” She warned.  
“I’m coming Em, hang on.” Morgan sprinted up to the attic door and called out again. “Em stand back I’m gonna kick the door down.”

“We’re in the back corner so it’s safe!” Emily responded before looking down at Fia. “Cover your ears baby.” Fia nodded and put her hands over her ears. “Ok Morgan!”  
Morgan kicked the door a few times before it broke off the hinges and hit the floor.  
“Em!” Morgan said and ran to her. “Oh god, Em, you look bad.” He said looking her over before seeing the woman curled in her arms. “Who’s that?” He asked.  
“Later.” Em replied. “Just get us… ow shit!” She winced as she tried to move her legs. “Get us out of here!”  
Morgan nodded and called back to Hotch. “Hotch I’ve got Emily, there’s another woman here, both of them are in a bad way; we need EMTs up here now!”  
From the bottom of the steps Hotch called back to Rossi, “Rossi get the EMTs I’m gonna go up there and help Morgan. Reid keep searching for Mr Greengrass.”  
Both men nodded and headed in opposite directions, Rossi outside and Reid to check the rest of the rooms.

As Hotch hit the top of the steps up to the attic he took a deep breath to center himself before going in. “Oh my God! Emily!” He said and sprinted to her side. “What happened?”  
Emily looked at him and shook her head. “I-I’m not sure, I went to the basement to see if the unsub was there, next thing I know I’m waking up tied to the bed here.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she did her best to clear the fog in her mind. It hadn’t even occurred to her that JJ wasn’t there as well.  
“Hey come on baby girl, no tears, JJ wouldn’t want you to get worked up.” Morgan said, trying to soothe her, sadly he had the opposite effect.  
“Where? Where is JJ?” She asked, looking around, panic rising in her chest as she realized her girlfriend was missing.  
“Em, calm down.” Morgan tried desperately to calm the brunette in front of him. “JJ is fine, well not fine fine she’s in the hospital, she got knocked out when you got abducted. She’s got a head wound but I promise she’s ok, Garcia is with her.”   
Emily’s eyes went wide and she attempted to stand up. “I have to get to her.” She protested as Morgan gently but firmly held her down. “Morgan let me go!”  
“Em, you’ll get to her I promise, just let the medics examine your legs first, and you’ll have to let her go.” He soothed, pointing to the woman still curled up in Emily’s arms.  
“No Mommy! Oo pwomised not to!” Fia cried, clinging more to Emily. Morgan raised his eyebrow and shot Emily a questioning look that she ignored.  
“No baby. It’s ok, I won’t let you go, I’ve got you, you're safe.” Emily cooed, rubbing Fia’s back soothingly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The EMT’s came in and instantly went to the pair on the floor. “Ok what’s happened here?” The elder of the women asked, bending down to Emily and looking at Fia.  
“This is Fia.” Emily said softly, still holding her as the EMT started to look her over. “She is biologically around 22 years of age, however, due to severe abuse suffered at the hands of the unsub, she has mentally regressed to the age of 2 years old. She is very scared, severely malnourished, and may have several broken bones or bones that have been broken and reset.” She rattled off. “I’m Emily, 34 years old, no allergies to food or medicine at all, suspected broken legs or ankles, bruised ribs and wrists from both being restrained and the unsub kicking me.”  
The EMT nodded and smiled down at Fia. “Hi sweetie, can you look at me for a moment please?” She said softly, trying not to spook her. When Fia didn’t move she looked at Emily and mouthed ‘Mommy?’ at her, when Emily nodded slowly she smiled again and spoke to Fia. “It’s ok darling, Mommy can stay with you, I just need to check your owies.”   
Fia looked up at Emily who gave her an encouraging nod. She looked at the EMT and nodded. “Otay.” She said softly.   
“There we go, good girl.” The woman smiled softly and gently touched her face. “Fia honey, I need you to tell me if it hurts when I touch different parts of your body ok?” A silent nod from Fia and the woman smiled. “You are doing so good honey. Is this sore?” Fia whimpered and nodded at the touch to her cheek. “Okay here?” Another nod.   
A few more minutes and several nods from Fia later and the EMT smiled softly. “Okay honey, all finished.” She smiled at Fia and then looked at Emily, whispering. “I think you were right about the multiple broken bones, though they do seem to be mostly old . The breaks in her arm and ribs seem newer though.” Emily frowned and hugged Fia protectively. “Now let me just check your legs and things, but I’ll need you to…” Before she had a chance to finish what she was saying Fia was whimpering and clinging to Emily.  
“Fia baby, I’m not going anywhere ok? I promise, the nice lady just needs to check my owies, like she checked yours ok? You can stay here, just sit next to Mommy for me ok?” Emily said softly, gently taking Fia’s hands from around her neck and moving her to sit next to her.   
“Okay, can you tell me where it hurts the most?” The woman asked.   
“My legs and my ribs.” Emily said, biting back a yelp of pain. “But please, I’ll be ok, just look after Fia, please?” She begged, scared for her new ‘daughter’.  
“I just need to make sure that if your legs are broken, that you aren’t loosing the blood supply to your feet.” She explained gently. Emily nodded and clenched her jaw as the EMT touched them.  
“OW! Ok that hurt!” She yelled out as her legs were touched, she quickly glanced and wished she hadn’t bothered. Both her legs were stuck out at strange angles and there was bone sticking out of the top of her left leg.   
“MOMMY!” The cry came all of a sudden and it made Emily jump. She looked down and saw why Fia was crying. She’d looked down and seen Emily’s legs and it had spooked her badly.  
“Fia? Can you come with me?” Morgan had bent down and was smiling softly at the screaming woman. The look in Fia’s eyes told him that it wasn’t going to be easy to get her to come with him. “It’s ok baby girl, I promise you, the EMT’s are looking after your Mommy but we don’t want you to be all upset now do we?”  
Emily smiled at him and mouthed ‘thank you’ before looking down at Fia. “Go on honey, it’s ok, you go with Uncle Morgan.” She kissed the top of her head and Morgan gently picked her up, carrying her out of the room and down to one of the waiting ambulances.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Across Town

“JJ?” The voice sounded faint like it was far away but it registered in JJ’s mind somehow. “Jayje?” The voice sounded closer that time but still far off. JJ’s eyes fluttered behind her eyelids as she attempted to wake up.  
Spencer let out a soft gasp and raced out of the room, running right into Garcia who was stood outside the door. “Garcia, I think she’s waking up.” He said by way of greeting and rushed to find a nurse.  
Garcia nodded, a little flustered and went into JJ’s room taking her hand. “Jayje? It’s Pen. Come on, JJ, wake up for me?” Garcia bit back the tears as she saw her friend trying to wake up. “Yeah that’s it JJ you can do it.”  
“Em?” JJ said softly, her throat felt like sandpaper and her head was pounding. “Emmy? Is that you?” She wanted to open her eyes and look at whoever it was but her eyelids were so heavy it was impossible for her to do so.   
Garcia looked down at her and her heart sank, how was she going to tell JJ that the love of her life was in the hands of that monster? “N-No JJ, it’s Garcia.” She said softly. “Um Em is, Em is still out in the field.” She added. She felt so bad for lying to her but at this point there was no point telling her the truth as it was just going to make things worse and they needed JJ calm.  
Reid came back in, closely followed by one of the nurses just as JJ’s eyes flickered open. She almost instantly closed them again, the sterile light of the hospital room hurting her eyes. She groaned and the nurse went round to the other side of her bed and checked the machines, softly beeping in the background.  
“JJ? My name is Nikki, I’m one of the nurses here, can you just open your eyes for me please?” Nikki said softly, trying to bring her round gently.   
JJ’s eyes flickered once more and she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. “Emmy?” She said, her voice thick with confusion. Nikki shot Reid and Garcia a questioning look and Reid replied ‘girlfriend’ simply, she nodded and turned back to JJ.  
“No JJ, she’s not here at the moment. But, you have Spencer and Garcia here, they’ve been worrying about you.” Nikki smiled and moved back a little so JJ was able to see them standing at the end of the bed.  
That’s when the panic seriously set in and JJ sat bolt upright in the bed. “Pen? Where is she?” She said desperately, looking wildly around for Emily. The machines behind her were reflecting her panic as they went crazy.   
“JJ, you gotta calm down honey.” Garcia said, moving back to the side where she had been standing before. “Emily, Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan are all still out there looking for this asshole. He won’t be out for long I swear it.” Her voice was shaking but she had to smile, JJ seemed to calm down at this and Garcia wanted to keep it that way. “Reid is here because…” She paused and looked at him. “Why DID Hotch send you, Reid?”   
Reid bit his lip before quickly replying. “I was at the station with you, Pen. I stayed back in case there were more areas they needed to look at.” He shot Garcia a look and she instantly played along.  
“Oh, of course you were.” Garcia slapped her forehead in a ‘duuuuuh’ motion. “Anyway, Hotch said it was better for us to meet you and the ambulance here.” JJ nodded slowly and looked to Nikki.  
“Ok JJ that’s brilliant, now I just need to run a few tests to check how your memory and things are, ok?” She said and looked at JJ who nodded. “Ok, can you tell me your full name please?”  
“Jennifer Andrea Jareau.” JJ replied.   
“That’s good. Ok next question what’s the date?”  
This question took longer for JJ to answer, “Um I-I’m not…” She trailed off as she attempted to calm her shaky voice. “I’m not sure.” She said finally, looking down at her hands. “I think it’s a Wednesday though?” She added.  
“Close it’s Thursday 27th of November.” Nikki said encouragingly. “That’s ok though, some confusion about date is normal. Can you tell me who the current president of the United States is JJ?”  
“Obama.” JJ said, confidently smiling now.  
“Very good JJ, ok I’m going to shine this torch into your eyes, I just need you to look right at me.” Nikki said and waited for JJ’s nod before doing so. “Ok can you tell me what happened?” She asked gently.  
JJ shook her head and started crying. She felt so helpless but she had no idea what had happened. The last thing she was sure of was Emily threatening to throw a jug of cold water over her if she didn’t get out of bed.  
“No that’s ok JJ, you’ve done so well.” Nikki reassured her. “I’m going to get the doctor to order a CT scan for you. I just want to check that nothing serious is going on and you don’t have any bleeding on the brain or anything. You were hit pretty damn hard with that baseball bat.” She smiled softly and looked to Reid and Garcia. “Please try and keep her calm.” They both nodded and with that she left.  
“Garcia…” JJ started but got cut off with a hand being held up.   
“Don’t even think about saying saying ‘sorry’, missy.” Garcia replied in a firm but mildly playful tone. “This is not your fault so you don’t blame yourself, ok?”  
JJ looked a little sheepish but nodded. “I was uh gonna say ‘thanks’ as well but I guess you're right.” She sighed and looked at her friends. “Can one of you?”  
“Already did sweety, Hotch is bringing her in now.” Reid said. “I called him as soon as you showed signs of waking up.”  
“Tell me they got this asshole though?” JJ asked, putting a hand to her head and wincing. “Cause I wanna be the one that interrogates him.”  
Reid and Garcia looked to each other and proceeded to have a very fast and totally silent conversation between themselves. Moments later they nodded and Garcia looked at JJ, her expression sad and a little fearful.  
“Well uh…” She trailed off and shook her head. “Jayje there’s something we gotta tell you, about Em.”  
JJ’s eyes went wide and tears started brimming in her eyes. “Is she ok?” Her body started shaking and Garcia sat on the bed next to her and pulled her into a hug.  
“Yes and no.” Garcia said slowly. “She’s alive don’t worry.” She added quickly seeing the look on JJ’s face. “She just, well Greengrass, he uh he got Em.” She took a breath before carrying on. “She’s got 2 broken legs, a few broken ribs and…”   
“And what Garcia?” JJ all but spat out at her friend. “What is it?” She wasn’t sure what she hoped Garcia was going to say, she just hoped that whatever that bastard had done to her darling girl wasn’t as bad as what Doyle had done to her last year.  
“Well she saved a woman there, but this woman is, well she’s a little different.” Garcia said. “Although biologically she’s 22, mentally she’s well, she’s 2.” Both of them looked at JJ to gauge her response.  
“Ok but what’s that got to do with Em?” JJ asked, totally confused at this point.  
“Fia has kinda started calling Em ‘Mommy’ and Em has well, she’s kinda adopted her as her daughter.” Reid said. “It’s very common in cases of severe and sustained abused. Those abused tend to regress to the last age at which they felt truly safe and apparently for Fia that was when she was 2.”  
JJ’s jaw dropped open and she sat there staring in total shock. “What? Why?” Was all she could think to say, her mind had exploded with so many questions that she needed answers to but was sure the only person she’d get them from was Emily herself. “I-I don’t understand.”  
Reid pulled one of the comfier chairs in the room up to JJ’s bedside and sat down, yes they were friends and yes they were close but Reid wasn’t one for human contact, unless it was his boyfriend, but that was different. “Ok JJ, this is a lot to take in I get it.” He started calmly. “But what Emily is going to need at the moment is your support while she tries to figure out and process everything from the last 48 hours. I’m sure that once she’s been patched up she can come in here and you guys can sit and talk about everything but please don’t blow up at her, she’ll need you to listen.” He added.  
“Spence I’m not angry with her just confused and well I guess ignorant.” JJ replied, perfectly calmly. “I just want her safe and happy, and well if us adopting Fia and taking her home with us makes her happy then, I’m willing to give it a try.” She smiled. “I can do some research on it if that bridge comes, I’m assuming that Fia will be in hospital for some time before she can go anywhere?”  
“Well we can’t be sure, until they get here and she’s been assessed and treated for her current injuries there’s no telling how long she’ll have to stay in hospital.” Reid admitted, “But from what Hotch was saying I highly doubt that Emily will stray that far from her, let alone fly back to Virginia without her.”  
JJ sat back in the bed and closed her eyes. This was a lot of information to take in and honestly she was going to need time to fully process it all and make a proper decision but she new what her heart said.   
“Jayje?” Garcia whispered softly, when no response came, she assumed her friend had fallen asleep and motioned to Reid for them to go. Reid nodded and they both stood up. “Sleep well Princess, we’ll bring Em down to you as soon as we can.” She said and kissed the blonde’s forehead before they both slipped out of the room.   
JJ sighed and rolled over as soon as the door clicked shut and opened her eyes slowly. “Oh Em, what are we getting ourselves into?”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When Emily woke up several hours later she looked around, highly disorientated. The room she was in was dark and mostly silent apart from a few machines beeping in the background. To her left was a bed with a small figure in it. The figure was sleeping peacefully and it was then Emily’s memory of the events of the last few days came flooding back to her. The figure in the bed was Fia and they were in the hospital. Emily sat up and tried to move her legs but found them heavy. When she looked at them she saw the plaster casts her legs had been set in after the operation she’d had to fix the brakes in them. She looked to her other side, towards the windows in the room and saw a sight in front of her that made her heart both swell and ache in equal measures. There, curled up fast asleep in the big chair in the corner was JJ, Emily smiled at her girlfriend and blushed when JJ woke up.  
“Hey you.” Emily said softly as JJ stretched upwards, causing her shirt to ride up and expose some of her well toned stomach.  
“Don’t you EVER scare me like that again, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss.” JJ said, standing up and walking to Emily’s bedside, kissing her passionately. “If you ever try something like that again, I’ll kill you myself.” Her tone softened and she pulled Emily into a tight hug, tears spilling down her cheeks. “God Em, I thought I was going to lose you.” She was sobbing now, clinging to Emily for all she was worth.  
“JJ, I…” Emily said and held her close. “I’m so sorry.” Her own tears were falling now, her hand stroking JJ’s soft blonde hair in an attempt to calm her.   
They sat there for several minutes before both women stopped crying and JJ let go of Emily’s shirt. She sat back and wiped her nose on her sleeve before giggling. “Look at us, just two big babbies.” She said, her voice hoarse from the crying. “But seriously Em, I almost lost you, the Dr said you coded twice on the operating table.”  
Emily’s face went pale then she shook her head and took JJ’s hand in hers. “Yet I’m still here aren’t I?”   
“Stubborn brat.” JJ said and grinned. She glanced over at the second bed in the room and bit her lip. “Tell me about her?” She said, looking directly into Emily’s eyes as she did so. “I want to know everything.”

“Well, Fia is biologically 22 years old, when she’s ‘big’ as it were she’s called Sophia Blackthorn, we aren’t sure if she’s Greengrass’ romantic partner or his first victim that, for some reason, he never killed.” Emily started, glancing over at Fia in the other bed and silently thanking God that she was sedated and wasn’t going to wake up. “She’s been severely abused over the years and the EMT’s that got us out found several old brakes in her bones that had been reset over time, but not always properly, she’s also malnourished.” Tears filled Emily’s eyes as she thought about how broken she was.  
JJ let out a gasp and looked to Fia’s bed as well. Seeing the tears in her girlfriend’s eyes broke her heart. “It’s ok Em, we don’t have to do this now if you can’t.” She said soothingly.  
Emily shook her head and cleared her throat. “No um, it’s ok, I can do this.” She said.   
JJ nodded and took hold of her hand, squeezing it gently. “Ok, but if you need to stop, just tell me and we can talk about something else.” She replied, to which Emily nodded and squeezed her hand in return.  
“This is where things are a little, how can I say this delicately?, different about Fia.” Emily said, biting her lip and looking at JJ who just smiled. “Fia, as Fia, is only 2 years old. She has a condition called ‘Age Regression’ where she believes she is a 2 year old girl, or a ‘little’ as it’s also called.” She glanced at the blonde who nodded for her to continue. “It’s because of all the abuse she’s been subject to over the years. She’s the most adorable little kid ever and well um she calls me ‘Mommy’.” A blush spread across the brunettes cheeks and she ducked her head. “I kinda like it.” She admitted, causing JJ to smile.  
“She sounds sweet, and honestly Em, ‘Mommy’ is something I always saw someone calling you one day.” The blonde replied. “And Em, this is a serious thing ok?” Emily’s head snapped up, a look of fear in her eyes, but she nodded. “If she takes to me and you want to, we can take her home.” JJ said, smiling.  
Emily’s eyes went wide with shock and her heart started beating fast. “We can? You really mean it?” She stuttered a bit, not sure if JJ was being truly serious in that moment. “You’d bring her home with us and…” She trailed off, not sure how to word the thoughts in her head.  
“Yes Em, I want to bring her home with us and adopt her, it’s obvious from what Garcia and Reid have told me that Fia has very much taken to her new ‘Mommy’ and I can tell by the look on your face and the way you talk about her that you love her as well.” JJ said and kissed Emily softly. “If she accepts me as well, we can talk to the doctors, psychologists, Hotch and whoever else we need to and she is ours.” If she was honest as soon as Reid had told her about Emily and Fia, JJ had made her mind up without a doubt that the young woman was going to come home with them. “She can be our little girl for as long as she wants or needs to be, but we will also make sure that Sophia is aware that if, for whatever reason she decides she wants to be ‘big’ again she will always have a home with us, whatever her age or mental state.”  
“Jennifer.” Her name came from Emily’s lips like a prayer. “I-I don’t know what to say.” The words stuck in her throat a little as she once more found herself fighting back tears that were threatening to fall. “You are amazing, thank you.” She finally got out and kissed JJ softly.  
“Don’t thank me yet honey. We still have plenty of red tape to get past first.” JJ warned but gladly returned the kiss. “Honestly I can’t wait to meet her, any idea when they plan on trying to wake her up?” She asked, looking over at Fia again.  
Before she had a chance to answer, Nikki walked into the room and smiled at them. “Emily, it’s good to see you awake.” She said. “I’m Nikki, I’ll be the nurse looking after you and Fia, I looked after JJ as well.” She added before turning to look at JJ. “Your scans came back fine by the way Jennifer, it’s just a mild concussion but you’ll have to take it easy for a few days.”   
JJ groaned, earning a smirk from Emily but nodded regardless. “You got it Nikki.” She said and slumped back in her chair.  
“I don’t know what you're smirking at Emily.” Nikki said, turning back to her. “You’ll be stuck here for a few days at least. Those breaks were nasty as hell and I’m sure Jennifer has told you already you almost died, twice.” Emily’s face dropped and it was JJ’s turn to smirk.   
“But…” Emily started but was cut off by Nikki.  
“No ‘buts’ Emily, if you want the chance to take Fia home with you.” A twinkle came into Nikki’s eyes “You’ll have to do what you are told.”   
“Fine!” Emily pouted. “But I’m not going to like it.” JJ and Nikki both rolled their eyes at her.  
“Anyway, I’ll leave you ladies to it, we’ve got Fia sedated at the moment, we want to wait a few days before we wake her up though.” She said and walked out, leaving Emily and JJ to talk and work out the finer details of everything.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Three days later it was time to try and wake Fia up. It had been decided that JJ was going to stay outside the room until she was awake and that Emily was going to be by her side to keep her calm and not overwhelm her. Nikki had given her the injection to wake her up and Emily sat nervously waiting, her hand holding Fia’s gently.  
“Mommy?” Fia’s sleepy voice floated towards Emily as she started to wake up. “Mommy!” Her eyes opened and she started crying.  
“Shhh shhh, it’s ok baby Mommy’s here.” Emily said, moving a little so she was in Fia’s line of sight. “See? I’m right here baby, I haven’t left you.”

Fia blinked and looked around at Emily. “Mommy!” Her crying intensified as she held her arms out to Emily.  
Emily moved so that she was able to hug Fia and calm her down. She was amazed at how strong Fia was considering how malnourished she was. She looked at the door and saw JJ standing just outside it, as promised, smiling at them, simply watching the way her girlfriend and Fia interacted with each other. Once Fia had calmed a little and stopped crying Emily smiled at her and spoke softly. “Fia sweetheart?”  
“Ess Mommy?” She replied, looking up at her with her big brown eyes.   
“There’s someone very special Mommy wants you to meet, ok?” Emily, said gently. “Do you think you can do that for me?”  
Fia thought for a moment then nodded but clung to Emily’s shirt nervously. “Otay Mommy.” She whispered and Emily smiled at her before looking up and motioning for JJ to come in.  
“Fia?” Emily said. “This is JJ. She’s Mommy’s special friend and she’s been so looking forward to meeting you.”  
JJ walked in, a wide smile on her face, as she met Fia face to face. “Hey there beautiful, Mommy has told me so much about you! I’m so glad I get to meet you.” She said, keeping her tone light and even.  
Fia looked between the two older women and smiled nervously before burying her head in Emily’s chest shyly. JJ smiled as Emily instinctively pulled her in closer and gave her a reassuring cuddle.   
“Oh dear, are we kinda shy today?” JJ said, trying to coax the scared young woman out of her shell. “You know what? That’s ok, I get shy sometimes as well.” She paused for a moment and looked to Emily who nodded for her to continue. “Well now, your Mommy has told me all about you and how very special you are, and well, it seems as though we are both very special women in Mommy’s life so maybe we can talk and be friends? Do you like the sound of that?”  
Slowly, very slowly Fia turned and looked at JJ, it was amazing to the blonde just how much her girlfriend and Fia looked alike. If she hadn’t known better she’d have even gone as far as saying they could be siblings. Fia studied JJ, a look of confusion on her face before she spoke in a tiny voice. “Hewwo, I Fia an I dis many.” She held up 2 fingers, just like she said when she first met Emily and JJ’s heart instantly melted.   
“Fia huh? Well it’s nice to meet you honey.” JJ said. “I guess I should tell you now, I’m your Mommy’s girlfriend and you seem to have stolen her heart from me so I guess we’ll have to share her, huh?” She smiled warmly as Fia stared at her in total amazement.   
“Oo Mommy’s girlfwend?” Fia asked, not fully understanding what that meant. “What dat mean?” She added, big brown eyes meeting JJ’s blue ones.  
JJ took a breath before continuing. “Well honey, it means that if you like I can be your Momma, too. If you’ll have me that is?” She said. Honestly she hadn’t thought they’d get to this part of the conversation this quickly but somehow it felt like a good time to talk about it.   
Brown eyes lit up as Fia nodded happily. “Ess pees!! I wuvs dat pan!” She grinned and all but threw herself into JJ’s arms. JJ chuckled a little and hugged her close, looking over the top of Fia’s head to Emily, a look of mild shock on her face that Fia had trusted her so quickly.   
“Well that’s settled then, isn’t it?” Emily said, moving to sit next to them both and pulling them into a family hug. “We better have a talk with Hotch and everyone, we apparently have ourselves a daughter.” Fia squealed in delight and looked up at them both.  
“Oo means it? I oos baby fowewwa?” She asked, looking between them and they both nodded, tears in their eyes at the happy expression on her face.  
Unbeknownst to the trio sat on Fia’s bed, Nikki had walked in on them talking to give Fia and Emily some pain killers. She wiped a tear from her cheek and cleared her throat, causing all of them to jump. “Oh sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just…” She smiled and held up the meds for each of them to take. “It’s medicine time.” She moved closer to them and Emily took her tablets, without fuss for once she may add, and Nikki put a small injection of morphine into Fia’s cannula. “I just need to get our little one here some more IV fluids, I’ll be back in a moment.” She said and bid a hasty retreat back out of the door.  
Both Emily and JJ grinned at each other as Fia yawned in JJ’s arms. Emily slid off of the bed and JJ gently lay her down and kissed the top of her head as she dozed off once more. They hoped that Nikki changing her IV fluids wasn’t going to disturb her and she’d sleep some more. Thankfully they were correct and Fia slept straight through the bag change, none the wiser.  
“Hey.” Garcia’s voice came from the doorway as she stuck her head into the room. “How are you guys doing?” They had told her that Fia was being woken up today and she had promised to pop in with some clean clothes for all three of them. “I got you guys some clothes.” She added, holding up the bags.  
“Hey Pen.” JJ said softly, standing and hugging her friend. “Yeah we’re ok, Fia woke up for about 20 minutes and I got a chance to talk to her, then Nikki came in and gave her morphine so she’s back out for the count.”  
Emily got up and hugged Garcia as well, she was walking easier now they’d taken off the bulky casts and replaced them with ones that were easier to move around in, helped by the surgical boots they put over them. “It’s good to see you Garcia.” She said and took the bags from her friend.   
“You have no idea how good it is to see you up and about Em.” Garcia countered with a smile on her face. “We almost lost…”  
“Lost me, yes, I’ve been told.” Emily finished for her, a grin spreading across her own features. “Jeez you guys aren’t gonna let that drop any time soon are you?”  
“Not a chance, baby girl.” The smooth voice of Derek Morgan met her ears and she spun round to look at him. “Now where’s my hug?”  
Emily grinned and hobbled over to him, hugging him and whispering in his ear. “Make one joke about this and I swear I will shove one of these surgical boots so far up your ass you’ll puke it back up.”  
Morgan smirked as she pulled away, looking at JJ. “I see she hasn’t lost her spark.” He said chuckling, earning a well placed punch on his shoulder from Emily. “How’s my Niece doing?” He asked, looking to Fia’s bed, and seeing her sleeping peacefully.  
“She woke up for about 20 minutes.” Emily informed him. “She’s ok, just wiped out after the last few days.” She looked to JJ who nodded, a smile on her face quickly catching on to where Emily’s mind was. “Buuuuuuut.”  
“But what?” Garcia asked, looking at her best friends. “But what!”  
“Do you wanna tell her or shall I?” JJ asked Emily.  
“Together?” Emily replied and JJ nodded.  
“We’re adopting her! She’s ours!” They said in unison, earning a loud squeal from Garcia. 

“That’s amazing news!” Garcia said as she hugged them both. “When did you guys decide that?” She figured she new the answer already but didn’t want to assume anything just in case.  
“As soon as we laid eyes on her.” Emily admitted, it had been love at first site for her and she was sure that from the way JJ had been acting and the things said between them it was the same for her as well.   
“Yeah, as soon as I saw her there was no way we were going to leave her behind.” JJ agreed. “Honestly, I think if Em had said she didn’t want to take her home with us I’d have worn her down. She’s just so cute and looks like a mini Emily.” She pointed out.  
Garcia looked to the sleeping woman and gasped. “It is scary just how much truth there is in that statement.” She said, shaking her head. “Seriously Em, look at her, like properly look.”  
Emily looked to the bed and nodded. “Wow I… I never noticed before.” She said, her voice low and full of emotion. “She looks just like me.” Her heart started to race as she thought about it. Fia may only be 2 years old but Sophia was 22, she was the same age as… No she couldn’t be, could she?   
“Em?” JJ said softly, touching her arm to get her attention as she was staring off into space. “Em? Where’d ya go?”   
Emily jerked out of her own thoughts and back to reality. She looked sheepishly at JJ and ducked her head. “Oh uh, nowhere important.” She said, trying to sound casual but not doing a very good job of it. JJ cocked her eyebrow but let it drop.  
“So, have you spoken to Hotch about it yet?” Garcia asked, ever the practical one of the three in times like this. Both women shook their heads. “Well you may wanna do that at some point. Hotch is gonna need to know that…” She was cut off by the man himself walking into the room.  
“I’m gonna need to know what?” He said, surveying the room and the four matching guilty looks on the faces of Emily, JJ, Morgan and Garcia.   
“Well Sir.” Emily said stepping forward. “JJ and I, we…” For once she was totally lost for words. Of course what was going on made total sense in her head but for some reason she wasn’t able to vocalize her thoughts.  
“Congratulations, Rossi will be thrilled that there will be another person around for family diners.” Hotch said, seemingly reading her mind.  
Their mouths dropped open and they stared at him. “You aren’t mad?” JJ asked, finding her voice before Emily.  
“Not at all, in fact, we all saw this coming.” Hotch said with a smile. “Honestly ladies, this is a good thing for both of you. I hope it works out.”  
“Thank you Sir, I promise that this will…” Emily started but was interrupted by Hotch, holding up a finger.  
“Don’t even think about saying this will not affect you both and change the way you think and react in the field, I did the same when Jack was born.” He said, in a firm voice. “It’s understandable and I’ll have a word with Strauss. I’ll inform her of your situation and tell her that neither of you are to be called in unless it’s a dire emergency for the next six weeks; that’ll give you time to settle Fia in.”  
“Hotch, I, thank you.” JJ said, hugging him. “This means the world to us and we honestly just want what’s best for Fia.”  
Hotch nodded and returned the hug. His thoughts went back to how everyone supported him during the big moments in his life; the birth of Jack, his divorce from Haley, Haley dying. It was the least he could do to support Emily and JJ now. “Don’t mention it and please, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.” He said and stepped back towards the door. “I’ll leave you to it for now; I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. It’s good to see you the both of you up and about and I hope Fia will be up as well soon.” With that he left the hospital room, smiling to himself, this was definitely going to be an interesting few months.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Momma?” Fia’s sleepy voice woke JJ from her sleep in the chair between the hospital beds, Emily had been given some stronger painkillers and was currently fast asleep in her own bed. JJ blinked and looked at Fia.  
“Yes baby?” She whispered, trying to keep the noise down, just in case they woke Emily up. “Are you ok?”  
“Bad dweem.” She whimpered, shaking her head. “It was scawey.” She held her arms out to JJ and the blonde instantly moved to scoop her up and cuddle her on the bed.  
“Well now, that’s not good is it, darling?” JJ said, stroking Fia’s hair. “Do you want to talk about the bad dream?”  
Fia shook her head and buried her face into JJ’s chest. It became obvious to JJ that the brunette in her arms was exhausted still and really the most important thing at that moment was for her to settle back down and go back to sleep. She glanced at the clock, 2am, far too early for any of them to be awake. She sighed softly and continued to run her hands through Fia’s hair.  
“That’s ok baby, hey listen it’s still super early so how about me and you lie down and go back to sleep? Hows that sound?” JJ said, smiling softly as Fia looked up her at. “Sound good?”  
Fia nodded up at JJ. “Tay pees?” She said, blinking sleepily up at the blonde. “Tay and cuggel?”   
JJ nodded back at her. “Of course baby girl, I’d love to have cuddles with you.” She shifted a little so she was lying down on her side and Fia was able to curl up into her. “Comfy?” The nod and yawn was all the confirmation JJ needed that she was all but asleep.  
“Wuv oo Momma.” Fia said as she nuzzled into JJ’s side, sucking her thumb and clinging to the bear Garcia had given her earlier that day when she’d woken up from her medication induced sleep.  
“I love you too baby, sleep now ok?” JJ whispered and kissed her forehead gently. The answering nod was all JJ got out of the brunette and she smiled and started to sing a soft lullaby, just to make sure Fia was able to get back to sleep. “Lavender’s blue dilly dilly, Lavender's green. When I am King dilly dilly, you shall be Queen.” Having forgotten the rest of the words to the song she started to hum the rest of it until Fia’s breathing evened out and she succumbed to sleep, cradling the woman in her arms protectively.

The next morning Emily awoke early to find JJ and Fia still curled up together and smiled. “Yep” She thought. “This was meant to be.” They looked so perfect laying there fast asleep, Fia’s small brown head nestled into JJ’s chest, the teddy bear Garcia had given her firmly sandwiched between them.   
“Mommy?” Fia woke up and blinked, looking up at JJ before looking at Emily with a confused look on her face. “Momma?” She pointed to JJ and grinned. “Momma sweeping.” Emily smiled, slid out of the bed, and limped over to the other bed.  
“Yeah baby Momma is sleeping.” Emily whispered, scooping her up. “Shall we go over to my bed and cuddle for awhile until she wakes up?” Fia nodded and cuddled into her. Emily smiled and carried her over to the bed. They snuggled up together and Fia quickly dozed off once more.  
It was a few hours later when JJ woke up, she instantly noticed the loss of warmth where Fia had been. She looked up and saw her now cuddled up fast asleep together with her Mommy. “Hey Em.” She said softly. Emily blinked and woke up, looking around and smiling at JJ.  
“Morning sweetheart, what time is it?” She asked, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Fia up. The poor girl was still fast asleep.  
“I think it’s about 7:30.” JJ responded. “But she woke up at 2 because she’d had a nightmare; it’s why I ended up in the bed with her.”   
“Yeah she’s had a hard life poor kid.” The brunette replied. “And the last few days even more so.” She pointed out, idly stroking Fia’s hair.   
“Well, hopefully now she has us she can start to put that past behind her.” JJ said comfortingly to which Emily nodded. “Do you think she’ll have to testify in court?”  
“We’ll have to catch the bastard first, he’s in the wind now and by all accounts he could stay there for months, years even.” Emily said shaking her head. “But I honestly hope she won’t, I’ll gladly testify on her behalf but I’d rather she didn’t. I don’t want to put her through that.”  
JJ giggled, “Well look at you, sounding like a Momma bear already.” She teased, earning a glare from her girlfriend. “Hey, come on, it’s a good thing.” She backtracked. “I love this side of you, it’s sexy.”  
“Seriously? You think the idea of me being a Mommy is sexy?” Emily shook her head, she was in shock that JJ already thought that, they’d only been dating a few months.  
JJ nodded in response, she wasn’t sure why but seeing Emily being maternal in the way she was gave JJ hope for them and the future of the relationship. It was so comforting to see Emily still sat on the bed with Fia curled into her and as much as JJ wanted to take her girlfriend in her arms and hold her close she didn’t want to disturb the youngster in her arms.   
“Morning girls.” Nikki whispered as she tiptoed into the room. “How are we all this morning?” JJ looked round and smiled, pointing to Fia’s sleeping form and Nikki nodded. “Meds time.” She said softly, holding up the pill pots that had medication for both Emily and JJ in them and also a new bag of fluids and a bag of antibiotics for Fia.  
“Thanks Nikki.” Emily whispered. “Do you want JJ to put Fia back in her bed?” She took her pill pot and swallowed the tablets in one go, grimacing as she did so. With JJ following suit but taking hers with plenty of water as she’d never been able to dry swallow them.   
“No she’ll be ok where she is, I will need you to take her up though, she has some morphine to take.” Nikki replied, walking over to the bed and hooking the bags up to Fia’s IV line.  
“Fia? Sweetheart can you wake up?” Emily said, gently stroking her cheek to wake her up. Fia blinked and looked up at Emily, bringing her hands up to rub her eyes.  
“Ess Mommy?” She said softly, her big brown eyes looking up at Emily’s face. “I wake.”   
Emily and JJ both smiled at her, marveling at how well the young woman was coping with everything that had happened over the past week or so. Fia looked to Nikki and buried her face in Emily’s chest. The women weren’t sure why but Fia seemed to have developed a mild fear of Nikki, one reason could have been, that in order to keep some stability in Fia’s life, she’d only ever seen Nikki so if she needed blood tests or anything done it was Nikki that had done them.  
“It’s ok baby, Nikki just needs to give you some medicine to stop the owies.” JJ said gently. “It’s not bad this time I promise.” Comforted by her Momma’s voice Fia nodded and looked round at Nikki, opening her mouth so that she could give her the medicine.  
“There we go all gone!” Nikki said, grinning and clapping her hands. “Well done big girl!” The three of them had worked out that the best way to get Fia to do what they needed her to was with lots of encouragement and praise.  
“I big girl?” Fia said, smiling at Nikki.  
“You are, you are a big, clever girl who can probably go home with her Momma’s very soon.” Nikki nodded, looking at all of the notes she had on the new family. “I do need to check with the Dr but I think you guys will be good to go back to Virginia at the end of the week.”  
“That’s brilliant news.” JJ said, “Did you hear that baby? We can go home soon.” She scooped her daughter up and cuddled her close.   
“Yay!” Fia giggled and snuggled into JJ. “Wan go home now!”  
“I’ll be back in a few minutes I just need to make some calls.” Emily said and kissed the top of Fia’s head before kissing JJ and walking out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“Ok operation ‘baby girl’ is in motion.” Garcia said, looking around at the assembled members of the BAU. The rest of the team had had to fly back to Virginia two days beforehand and Emily had called Garcia to give her permission to use her spare key to Emily’s house and the credit card she kept in the drawer in her study to go out and buy anything and everything they’d need for Fia’s home coming.  
Garcia had a field day going both online and to different stores to buy things for her new Goddaughter. Morgan had joined her on the shopping trip, mostly to stop her buying what he deemed ‘useless shit that they weren’t going to need.’ Emily had already stated that money was no object and that Garcia had free reign to spend as much as she felt necessary. They had shopped for hours before Garcia finally seemed happy that she had purchased everything, both on Emily’s list and the extras that the redhead had wanted to get before heading to Lowes for all the things they’d need to decorate the nursery.   
Today however, the team had rallied round to help make sure everything was ready for the new family coming home that weekend, two days from now. Garcia, ever the organized one of them had made a list of all the jobs that needed doing before the time came for Morgan to go and pick Emily, JJ and Fia up in his new car. That was the one thing Garcia had insisted on, every member of the BAU team, apart from Hotch who already owned one, was given a new car with space for a car seat big enough for Fia to sit in, that way it didn’t matter who had her that day they’d all be equipped to drive her around safely.  
“Okay, Rossi and Hotch, can you guys build the furniture for the nursery please? Then after that build the furniture for adult Fia’s room? Morgan and Reid, you guys are decorating both the nursery AND adult Fia’s room, I’ll be redecorating our lovebirds room.” Garcia said, smiling at the men she was bossing around.  
“Andy will be here at like 3, he said he’d take care of the yard for us.” Reid replied, talking fondly of his boyfriend who just happened to be a landscape artist. “Apparently he has some big plan to redo it all in like two days, not that I have any idea what he’s going to be doing out there, he won’t tell me.”  
“Awesome! Do us all a favour and ask him to bring food with him? What do we want guys?” Garcia asked the group at large. A unanimous answer of ‘Pizza’ came and Reid nodded before pulling his mobile out and shooting off a text to Andy, requesting 4 large pizzas, 1 cheese and tomato, 1 pepperoni, 1 meat feast and 1 vegetarian, just to be sure that there was enough to go around.  
“Give us about 2 hours and we’ll do a Starbucks run.” Morgan said, looking to Reid who nodded in agreement. “We can wash the walls down and then do the first coat in each room before heading to get coffee for everyone.”  
With that the team split off into the separate rooms each of them were working on. Garcia headed to the master bedroom, armed with several large pots of aqua paint and several brushes. She was determined to make Emily and JJ’s bedroom a calm environment, both for the women to wind down after work and for them to bring Fia into when she was woken by bad dreams. She walked in and pulled some old sheets out of the cupboard at the end of the hallway, using them as dust covers to protect the furniture from getting paint on it. She pried open the first pot and started out by taking one of the smaller brushes and doing all of the edges in the room, that way she was less likely to get the rest of the paint in places she didn’t want it.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Morgan and Reid had agreed to start in Fia’s adult bedroom. They decided to make her adult room red because, from what Garcia had managed to find out from her online profiles and other research she’d done on her while they were trying to down Greengrass, Sophia was something of a goth. She loved her rock and heavy metal music and all of her profiles had red as a base color so they’d figured it was the safest option to go for. They walked into the smallest bedroom on the landing, although it was the smallest it was still a rather large double room, Reid had looked at it and deemed it to be at least 12” square so plenty of room for a double bed along with any other furniture Sophia was likely to need or want. Thankfully they didn’t have to worry about covering anything as the room was empty, Emily had something along the lines of 5 or 6 bedrooms in this house and all of her guests slept on the second floor, sometimes JJ would come into one of the spare rooms to read or do yoga but for the most part they both went unused.   
“You got the sugar soap right kid?” Morgan said, carrying the paint pots into the room. “And the sponges and brushes?”  
Reid nodded and put everything he was carrying in the center of the room. “Of course I do, I also have the buckets and stuff to strip the wallpaper.” He said, pointing to the buckets.   
That was the one downside of them volunteering to paint this bedroom, they had to strip the god awful flower wallpaper from the walls before they could start painting them red.   
“Why Emily chose this wallpaper I’ll never understand.” Reid grumbled. “It’s awful and tacky, so not like Em at all.” He pulled out the steamer and went to fill it up with water before plugging it in.  
“She didn’t, it came with the house and seeing as she wasn’t using the room she never bothered to redecorate in here.” Morgan said with a shrug. “That’s why we’re doing it now.” He picked up one of the chisels and started to pick at one of the loose edges of the wallpaper.  
The men quickly got into a rhythm, Reid would go along with the steamer and Morgan would follow behind him, pulling the wallpaper down and scrunching it up into balls before throwing them into the bin they’d set up in the corner of the room, cheering every time he got them in in one go. Half an hour later and all of the offending wallpaper was in balls either in or around the bin. Morgan walked over and put the balls that had missed the target into the bin before they both grabbed sugar soap and sponges, Morgan took the back wall where the window was overlooking the front yard and the wall on the left, while Reid took the wall where the door was and the wall on the right, each scrubbing the walls clean before setting the cleaning tools down and stretching upwards to loosen their backs.   
“Reid can you go and grab the ladder from down by the kitchen door please? I’ll do the edging first then we can work on the rest of the walls.” Morgan said, opening one of the pots and picking up the smallest brush Reid had grabbed.   
“You got it.” Reid replied and left the room to get it. He came back a few minutes later just as Morgan had finished the edging as promised. “You are aware that I’m not going up this thing aren’t you?” He said, walking back into the room, ladder in hand.  
“Yeah yeah, you have problems being up ladders, I haven’t forgotten.” Morgan said, waving his hand and standing up, “So long as you hold the damn thing still while I’m up it.”   
“Of course, just don’t drip paint on me.” Reid quipped back, setting the ladder up. 

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“Where do we start?” Rossi asked, looking at all of the flat packed boxes with furniture in them. They had a crib, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a changing table and a mini bookshelf to build for the nursery before heading to Fia’s adult room and building a double bed, a second wardrobe and chest of drawers plus a full sized bookshelf and a desk. They had to start somewhere but the question was where? It was a slightly daunting task but the parents of the team were convinced they’d get it done on time, they planned to build all of the nursery stuff today and then move to the other bedroom and build that furniture in the morning.

“I’d say start with the crib or the changing table, then we’ll be able to tell if the changing table can stay in here or if we need to put in the bathroom down the hall.” Hotch replied, both he and Rossi had put nurseries together before but never one like this. Not that either of them minded of course, they were just glad that they could be of use beyond just making sure the ‘kids’ didn’t kill each other over the next two days.   
“Ok so crib first? Then we can figure out where’s best to put it before putting the changing table together?” Rossi asked, looking at the boxes to determine which of them had the crib and the changing table in them. Hotch nodded and helped Rossi located the boxes they’d need. “Where did Garcia stick my toolbox?” He asked, looking around for it.  
“It’s here.” Hotch said, picking it up and passing it over. “She put it behind the door of all places.”   
“Of course she did.” He said, taking the toolbox and setting it on the floor next to him. “Thanks Hotch, though why do we trust her with all the files if she constantly puts things in random places?” The comment was meant with all the love and affection he had but it was a fair comment.  
“Honestly Rossi I sometimes ask myself the same thing, then I remember that she’s brilliant in her own crazy way and somehow it works.” Hotch grinned and pulled out his Swiss Army Knife, slicing through the tape keeping the large box the crib was in closed. “And let's face it, the rest of the kids would be totally lost without her.”   
“Never have truer words been spoken.” Rossi replied, helping Hotch to pull the crib out of its box. “It may be odd but our little family are the best.” He mused.  
The men smiled wistfully at each other, both lost in thoughts of times the team had spent together not on a case. Having now emptied out the box, they lay all of the pieces out in some semblance of order, the instruction leaflet somewhere amongst the packaging Hotch sighed scratching his 5 o’clock shadow.   
“I’m sure this was simpler when Jack was born.” He said, picking up the small bag of nuts and bolts that were meant to be used to put said crib together. “There were definitely less of those.”  
“That’s a maybe but don’t forget then we were build cribs for babies that were no more than 9lbs, Fia is a 2 year old trapped in a grown woman’s body.” Rossi pointed out. “It’ll be bigger ergo more nuts and bolts.”  
Almost a hour, and several restarts, later Rossi grit his teeth as he tightened the last bolt on the crib. Both of them could tell that it was of a high quality, as with all of her bedroom furniture, the crib was solid oak and custom made to ensure it was both big and sturdy enough to hold Fia.   
There was a very intricate pattern of flowers and ducks going up the headboard and foot of the bed, the only color on the crib.  
“Emily may well murder Garcia when she sees all of this oak furniture.” Rossi grinned. “This stuff can’t have been cheap.” He motioned to the other boxes and pulled the one containing the changing table off of the top of the pile. “All set for round 2?”  
“Last I checked Emily insisted that all of the furniture was solid oak and Garcia did say she’d been told that money was no object so I don’t think she’ll mind that much.” Hotch said, grinning and shaking his head. “This is going to be one spoiled kid I’m sure of it.” Not that he could moan about it, he fully intended to do plenty of spoiling Fia himself. “Of course, hopefully this won’t take us as long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N 
> 
> Sorry this took a little longer guys! My laptop had a hissy fit


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Later that afternoon Andy arrived with the promised pizzas and the group decided to take a break and congregated in the living room to sit and watch a film while they ate pizza. After that, they sat and talked for some time before deciding they all needed to get back to what they were doing around the house.   
Thankfully Morgan and Reid had all but finished painting the bedrooms for Fia. Morgan suggested that he help Andy in the yard so Reid could finish painting, then help Hotch and Rossi finish building furniture and arranging the rooms to make sure it all fit.  
Hotch and Rossi had got all of the furniture for the nursery built, apart from the chest of drawers which they were putting together at that moment in time. 

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“Hey Andy, what do you need me to do?” Morgan asked, walking out onto the wooden decking that they currently had. “Spencer’s just finishing up painting the nursery then he said he’d come down at help as well. For now though you're stuck with me and my amazing body.” He winked playfully at Andy who bit his lip and looked away.  
“Well handsome, remind me to thank Reid later.” Andy replied. He was well built but not as defined as Morgan, that was down to Morgan’s body being gym sculpted and Andy’s from manual labour. “If you wanna grab the cement bags and start mixing it up that’ll be seriously helpful.”  
Morgan nodded and went to get the requested bags and a wheelbarrow to mix it in. He had to hunt for a spade but soon found it buried in the back of Emily’s shed. Not that this shocked him, Emily was never one for yard work, mostly because she didn’t have the time to, she also had a gardener so she rarely had to nowadays anyway.   
“What are you planning for this place anyway. Andy?” Morgan asked, pouring water over the cement mixture in the wheelbarrow and mixing it. “Reid said you wouldn’t spill.”  
“Well.” Andy said, pointing to various points around the large yard. “I’m going to build a sandbox over by that fence there, the hot tub is going down the bottom by the back wall there. I’m going to pave a section by the other fence for a BBQ and chairs then I may put a new decking in but this one looks in ok condition at the moment.”  
30/7  
“You honestly think you can get all that done before they get home?” Morgan asked, notably impressed with Andy’s ambition. “That’s a big task.”  
“For one person maybe, but a few? Not so much, so what do ya say Morgan? Wanna help me out?” Andy asked, holding out his hand to Morgan.  
“Sure I’ll help, I have one request though.” He replied, looking around at the rest of the yard, his eyes lingering at the bottom, where Andy had said he was going to put the hot tub. “Can we put a pool in as well as the hot tub?”  
Andy looked at Morgan and chuckled. “Easy there tiger, one project at a time. But I like the way you think, I’m sure we can fit a pool in there as well, we can put the hot tub more in the corner for now then add a pool in later on.”   
The men shook hands on it and set about starting to lay the foundations for both the sandbox and hot tub. They found it easier to do with Andy spreading the concrete down and Morgan moving the slabs into position and placing them down. The plan was to put a concrete base down then asphalt over the top for Fia’s safety before building the sandbox, the hot tub was just going to have the concrete base with a fence built around it to stop Fia from getting to it without supervision. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t going to be allowed in the hot tub but the team was going to make sure there was adult supervision the entire time, unless she was in her ‘big’ mind and it was Sophia using the hot tub, though chances are someone was still going to be around just in case.  
“Mm Mm Mmm, that’s a delicious vision to behold.” Garcia’s voice came from the back door as she watched Morgan working, his muscles bulging from moving the heavy slabs around.  
“Hey sexy Mamma.” Morgan said, pausing for a second to wipe the sweat from his brow and pulling his shirt up, revealing his chocolate brown abs.   
“Hey yourself handsome.” Garcia grinned and walked over, kissing him and running her hand over his flat stomach. “What are you boys up to?”  
“Havoc and mayhem Pen, havoc and mayhem.” Andy smirked, looking up at her from smoothing some concrete between the slabs. “Nah your niece is getting herself a sandbox and the adults? You lucky lot are getting a hot tub.”   
Garcia’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? A hot tub? Here?” She looked around, trying to figure out where they’d put it. When Andy nodded Garcia let out a low a whistle. “Damn, Andy you do spoil us.”   
“Hey we’re building a pool at some point as well.” Morgan added, wanting Garcia to appreciate his work.  
“Well yeah but the sandbox and hot tub are coming first.” Andy pointed out and Morgan shot him a playful glare.  
“Ok boys break it up!” Garcia cut in, shaking her head at them. “I’m doing a Starbucks run, you boys want anything?”  
“My usual mocha frappuccino please, baby girl.” Morgan said. “With cream this time.” He added as Garcia had a tendency to reject the cream the store offered to put on the top.  
“And I’d kill for a venti iced caramel macchiato, extra caramel shot.” Andy added. “Thanks darling.” The only reason he got away with calling Garcia ‘darling’ in front of Morgan with no comment, was that he was both very gay and very into Reid.  
“You got it my loves.” Garcia replied, turning back towards the house. “Now behave won’t you?” She joked, earning a chuckle from them.  
“Let's get back to work before the boss comes and tells us off.” Morgan grinned, picking up another slab and putting it down. He took a step back looking down at the size of the area they’d put down already. “Hmmm I think one more row of these here and that’ll be big enough for the sandbox, what do you think?”  
Andy walked to stand next to him and looked down as well, surveying it and thinking for a moment. “Hmmm I’d say 8 feet square is good so yeah another row and we’ll be good.”  
“You got it, dare I ask how big the hot tub is gonna be?” Morgan said, grabbing another slab to put down.  
“Oh only 12 foot squared with a foot around it to walk around on.” Andy shrugged putting the finishing touches on the area they had laid down before helping Morgan shift the last few slabs in place and smoothing concrete in the cracks.  
“Yeah only 12 foot squared.” Morgan smirked, “And how long is that gonna take to put down?” Andy could tell he was joking and playfully swatted at his arm.  
“Ah only a couple of hours.” Andy said, offhandedly “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have energy to give your lady some love later one.” He winked causing Morgan to roll his eyes.  
“Just because you wanna give Reid some.” He teased back. “Though I think the plan may be for all of us to crash here in the spare rooms so maybe neither of us will get some loving.” Andy’s face went scarlet and he ducked his head. “That’s what I thought big man.” Morgan chuckled and headed to the bottom of the garden where they planned to put the hot tub in.  
“Hola, my loves, I come bearing drinks!” Garcia called, walking down the yard towards them. “Sorry it took me so long, everybody and their mom wanted Starbucks.” She handed them the drinks and looked at the area they’d finished with for now. “You aren’t leaving the sandbox area just with concrete are you?” She all but yelled at them, her face darkening with anger.  
“Woah woah no, baby girl, the concrete just needs to dry then we’re putting asphalt down to make it softer, don’t worry.” Morgan said, trying to soothe her. “I aint putting my niece in danger like that, ever.”  
“Oh well, that’s ok then.” Garcia replied sheepishly. “I’m sorry I just want our baby girl safe.”  
“Don’t we all Pen?” Andy put in. “I’m going to make sure that nothing in this yard is going to hurt her, even the hot tub will be fenced in so she can’t get to it.” He assured her.  
“You better, cuz I swear to whatever higher power is out there if she gets hurt out here I’ll do the thing.” Garcia shot back, she wasn’t sure if Andy understood what ‘the thing’ meant but it had the desired effect on Morgan who winced.

“Yeah you heard me.” Garcia said, smirking at Morgan. “And I’ll do the thing to you as well Derek Morgan don’t think I won’t!”   
“Baby girl your words hurt me.” Morgan said, a pained look on his face as he put a hand over his heart.  
“Yes Miss.” Andy said, not meeting her gaze. “I give you my solemn honor that by the time we’ve finished there won’t be a single thing that Fia can hurt herself on.”  
“Well in that case, I’ll bid you adu, we’ll be doing a food run in like 3 hours so you’ve got that long to get done and washed up.” She added and walked off.  
“You heard the lady, 3 hours, let's do this.” Andy said, picking up more cement and mixing it together. “It’ll take us about 2 to lay the concrete foundations down that’ll give us another hour to wash up and have showers and stuff.”  
Morgan nodded and went to fetch more slabs to put down. “2 hours? Well I won’t need the gym for the next week or so after all this hard work.” He joked hauling the slabs over.  
“Well you know what you're doing now so it may not take all of the 2 hours but saying 2 hours and then it taking less time sounds better then saying it’ll take a hour and a half and it taking longer.” He pointed out. 

“And once again someone throws logic at me that I can’t argue with.” Morgan grinned, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Lets just get this done so I can go shower, then in the morning we can come out here, put the asphalt down and start building the hot tub yes?”   
“Yes, Derek, we can start building the hot tub in the morning.” Andy said, rolling his eyes as they both got to work.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“I thought you said putting this wardrobe together was going to be easy?” Rossi grumbled as he held up the instructions, turning them around trying to figure out which way was the right way up. “This may as well be in Japanese for all I can understand it, look at this.” He thrust the booklet into Hotch’s outstretched hand.  
“Well for one you’ve had it upside down.” Hotch smirked and turned it the correct way up. “And for another it’s in Hungarian.”   
A look of realization and understanding crossed both men’s faces before they yelled in unison. “REID!” No sooner had his name been called did Reid poke his head around the door.  
“Hey guys, you called?” He said as the rest of him came into view around the doorframe.   
“Yeah we need your amazing linguistic skills.” Rossi answered. “You understand Hungarian right?”  
“Not fluently but some yes, what is it you need?” Reid questioned, seeing the booklet in Hotch’s hand.   
“A translation of this.” Hotch said, passing him the book. “It’s the instruction manual for this wardrobe, well how to put it together anyway.”   
Reid took the book and looked at it, his face scrunched up a little as he studied the words on the page. As Hotch and Rossi watched him it was almost as if they were able to see the cogs in his mind turning and then grinding to a halt. Reid’s face fell as he found himself unable to translate the text in the book. It wasn’t often he came up against something he didn’t understand or a problem he wasn’t able to solve so when he did he often took it as a personal insult. He groaned and threw the book across the room.   
“Woah Reid, chill out!” Rossi said, ducking the flying book that for some reason was flying directly at his head. “If you can’t translate it that’s ok, just say something.”  
“Sorry, sorry.” Reid mumbled as he crossed the room and picked the book up. “I’m not sure what came over me.” His frustration was obvious and Hotch gently took the book from his hands.   
“It’s cool Reid, go take a shower.” Hotch said and ushered him out of the room. Reid nodded sleepily and headed towards one of the bedrooms on the third floor, each of which had a en-suite bathroom, he walked into the first room he came across and stumbled into it.

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Reid hadn’t slept much since Emily and JJ had gone missing and now it was hitting him hard. He sighed stepping into the shower, the hot water flowing over him and instantly relaxing his tense body. He was so lost in his own world and thoughts he didn’t notice the door to the en-suite swing open or Andy walk in and join him in the ample sized shower.  
“Hey handsome, need a hand with the lufa?” Andy purred, winding his arms around Reid’s middle and kissing his neck softly.  
Reid smiled and leant back into his touch. “That would be amazing.” He replied, turning and kissing Andy softly. He passed Andy the lufa and turned back around. “If you can do my back I’ll love you forever.”  
Andy chuckled and started to work the lather into the lufa before rubbing Reid’s back down with it and gently massaging the places where his lovers back was the most tense. “Honestly Mr, what have I told you about relaxing?” Andy teased softly. “Seriously darling when was the last time you slept?”  
“Properly? Well when we left on the case.” Reid admitted. “First it was the case itself, what with it involving kids and the adult vics looking like Em, then of course Em going missing and JJ being hurt…” He closed his eyes as his voice faltered.   
All the thoughts and memories from the past 2 weeks were chasing themselves around his head, it was one of the many problems he had with his eidetic memory combined with perfect recall. His nightmares were always more vivid and hyper realistic compared to his teammates. He found that it was bad enough that he was often metaphorically kept in cotton wool and bubble rap because he was the baby of the team but if any of them, Morgan and Prentiss in particular, found out just how badly he was affected by the horrors they saw in their line of work they’d either never let him out in the field or they’d try to get him to quit the BAU all together, neither option were overly appealing to him. Its why he was so glad to have Andy in his life, Andy simply held him when he cried, stayed with him when he couldn’t sleep so he felt safe and let Reid say as much or as little as he wanted or needed to at the time. Even now Andy simply held him, not saying anything as the warm water flowed over the both of them.  
Reid had all but fallen asleep stood up in the shower when Andy reached around him and turned the water off. He carried the now fast asleep Reid to the bed in his towel and dried them both off before tucking him. Andy kissed the top of his head gently and walked out to go and find Garcia and the rest of the team in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N 
> 
> Sorry this took so long to get out guys! I had another story I needed to finish off for a Story Exchange I was a part of and then I got ill but I'm back now so hopefully it won't be so long between chapters now.
> 
> Also sorry it's a short chapter as well but I wanted to get this up and it seemed like a natural place to stop.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Spencer is finally asleep.” Andy said as he walked into the kitchen, the smell of pizza and beer filling his nostrils and making his stomach growl. “Ugh someone chuck me a beer?”  
Morgan grinned and passed Andy a beer, also moving up to give him a chair which Andy thankfully slumped into.   
“It’s about time, I don’t think our boy wonder has slept much since we left.” Garcia said, taking a sip of her own beer. “Hopefully he’ll sleep all night now, we can always save him some pizza for when he wakes up. The kid definitely needs it.”   
“The sleep or the pizza?” Morgan joked, in answer Rossi screwed up a napkin and chucked it at Morgan’s head. “Ok ok, sleep more but I swear the kid hasn’t been eating either.” He added, ducking the napkin flying at his head.  
“Honestly I don’t think he’s done either of those things in the past few weeks, he’s so skinny now.” Andy said slowly, he knew Reid would likely tell him off for telling the rest of the team but at this moment in time he honestly didn’t care. He was worried about him and if the only way to get Reid the help he needed was to tell on him then Andy was fully prepared to deal with the consequences of that.   
Hotch and Rossi shared a knowing glance with each other, as the appointed ‘parents’ of the team they made it a priority to know just how each of their ‘kids’ were doing. They’d both noticed the subtle changes in Reid’s behaviour since the case had started and although they had both discussed it between the 2 of them, neither of them had voiced what had been said to any of the others.  
“In that case, my giving him some holiday time is going to be enforced no arguments.” Hotch said after a few moments. “He can take the next three weeks off and any talk of work or the BAU is banned. Take him somewhere if you like Andy but make sure he takes the opportunity to relax.”   
Andy nodded, glad that Hotch understood and was willing to make Reid take some time off. “I’ve been planning to take him to Italy, he said he’s always wanted to visit the colosseum and Vatican City.” He smiled, he’d had the tickets in a cart online for the best part of a month, just waiting for the right time to buy them.  
Garcia smiled fondly at Andy, he may have only been a part of their little family for the last six months but he had already proved himself worthy of Reid’s affections and the protection from the rest of them. “That’s a lovely, romantic idea Andy.” She squealed. “Reid is going to love it! History, religion and romance all in one holiday.”  
As the group lulled itself into a state of calm and sleepiness each of them retreating up to one of the many bedrooms untill the only ones still awake were Morgan and Andy. Both men were now sat on the couch, having moved from the kitchen table, beers in hand.  
“So how long have you and Garcia been a thing?” Andy asked, thinking back to when Reid had first introduced him to the team, at that point Morgan and Garcia weren’t public with the relationship although it was still obvious.  
“Honestly? We’ve been together for almost 2 years now, we didn’t want to tell anyone because we weren’t sure it was going to last and normally relationships between members of the same team are frowned upon.” Morgan admitted. “What about you and Reid? I’m sure it’s been longer than the 6 months we’ve been aware of you.”  
“Guilty as charged, we’ve actually been together for a year.” Andy replied. “Reid didn’t want to tell you guys before I’d had a chance to meet his Mother and that was a while because well, his Mom is of course rather sick.” It’s not that Andy didn’t like Reid’s mother, in fact the opposite, he had a lot of respect for the woman but it was obvious how much her illness took its toll on Reid.  
“Yeah Reid is very protective of his Mom.” Morgan said, “Or maybe he’s just protective of everyone else, from what I’ve heard his Mom can be a handful. You gotta mean something to him if he’s willing to take that step with you.”  
“I guess so but Diana seems to like me so that’s gotta count for summat.” Andy shrugged. “Well no Spencer said it counts for more than just ‘something’. He said Diana rarely likes anyone he introduces her to, it may be why he’s never introduced her to you guys.”  
Morgan considered the point Andy made and nodded. “Yeah that may be it, though I think JJ has met her, I’m not sure though.” He said before taking another mouthful of his beer. “Though if Diana Reid is as formidable as our boy genius makes out I’m not sure I want to meet her.”  
At that Andy chuckled. “Wow seriously? Big tough Derek Morgan is scared of Diana Reid?” He teased. “You’ve been shot several times, almost blown up, run over, hit over the head with big planks of wood, pistol whipped… Need I continue?”  
“Alright, alright you win.” Morgan chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “But yes, the idea of meeting Reid’s Mom scares me okay? I can’t explain why but it does.”  
“Oh no I get it, the thought scared me as well.” Andy admitted, blushing a little. “But honestly she’s not that bad, in fact she’s very intelligent and rather nice.” He added, taking a swig of beer. “Very protective of her boy though.”  
“Most of us are very protective of poor Reid, I think he finds us overbearing at times.” Morgan said thoughtfully.  
“Yes I do in fact find you somewhat overprotective and annoying at times Morgan but I wouldn't change you for the world.” Reid cut in, yawning as he walked into the room. “Now quit talking about me and pass me some of the pizza and beer I no Garcia will have forced you to save for me.”  
“Hello to you as well sunshine.” Andy joked, standing up and kissing Reid softly. “Did you sleep ok?”  
Morgan bid a hasty retreat into the kitchen to retrieve the requested pizza and beer as Reid settled himself on the couch in Andy’s arms.  
“I did, thank you love.” Reid said, fighting back a yawn.  
Morgan came back in and passed Reid him the food and drink before bidding them both goodnight and heading up to bed, leaving the couple to relax a little before following suit and heading to bed themselves.

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The next morning the team were up at the crack of dawn, not that the term bright eyed and bushy tailed could be used to describe anyone that wasn’t Garcia, but the lure of Emily’s top of the line coffee machine was sufficient enough to ensure there were no complaints from anyone else. Reid, however, was nowhere to be seen, something that neither went unnoticed nor commented on as there was the unspoken agreement between the others that Reid sleeping was something that needed to happen.  
“Okay my loves it’s now 7am, Em, JJ and Fia’s flight is due in at 2pm that gives us 7 hours to get as much finished as we can and this house clean!” Garcia said, surprisingly chipper considering she had been up at 5am this morning to make sure that coffee and breakfast for 6 was prepped and cooked for when the guys dragged themselves out of bed. “Am I correct in my thinking that the only place that still has work to be done to it is the garden? Other than that it’s just all hands to the pump for clean up?”  
A collective half asleep response of ‘yes’ was all Garcia needed to start bustling around the kitchen, handing out more coffee and gathering the pots and pans she’d used for cooking to start washing up. Andy still wasn’t used to Garcia in the mornings, he normally saw her in the evenings on the rare occasions the team were both in Quantico and not working on a case so were free to go for dinner and drinks.   
“Pen I love you, but can you tone down the chipper?” He mumbled into his rather large mug of coffee. Although Reid was now very much fast asleep, it hadn’t been the case for most of the night.  
Reid had been very unsettled for reasons he hadn’t divulged to Andy and Andy hadn’t asked, he knew that what Reid needed wasn’t talking or words but just to be held and reminded that he was loved and that everything was going to work out just fine. The pair had laid awake until the early hours of the morning Andy just being there and holding him until he finally fell asleep.   
“Sorry handsome no can do.” Garcia replied in a slightly sing song voice. “Gotta keep the pep up to make sure everything gets done before we go pick our girls up.”   
“Give it up Andy, once my baby girl is up and running there’s no stopping her.” Morgan said, a wide grin on his face as he finished off his breakfast and stood up to grab a second cup of coffee.   
“She may be chipper but she provides us with coffee and breakfast along with the bubbliness so we tend to forgive her.” Hotch added. “And at the end of the day she gives us the energy we all need to push past the bad stuff and reminds us that despite all the bad there is still good in the world. She sets a good example for Jack as well.”  
“Her attitude and ability to make huge family meals reminds me of my Nonni now I think about it.” Rossi mused, glancing around just to make sure Garcia wasn’t within earshot.   
“I will take that as the highest of compliments Rossi.” The blonde in question said as she bustled back into the room, carrying more toast and coffee. “Ok you lot have another half hour before I’m kicking you all out into the yard to help Andy finish off.”   
“I just need another cup of coffee and I’m good to go.” Morgan said, walking back in with a fresh mug. 

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Half an hour later and the team assembled out in the yard, still yawning but not complaining about the fact it was only 7:30am. Everyone was stood on the patio awaiting instructions from Andy as to who was going to be doing what to help finish off.  
“Hotch, Rossi you guys are gonna build the BBQ area and the BBQ itself, figured I’d leave the Dad and the Italian to deal with the stuff related to cooking.” Andy said with a cheeky wink. “Garcia all I need you to do is fill Fia’s sandbox and put the cover in it, I’m stealing your man to help me build the hot tub.”   
“I want my man back in one piece at the end of the day Mr.” Garcia said, throwing him a playful glare.  
“Oh I dunno baby girl, Andy may just turn me to the dark side.” Morgan teased, ducking Garcia swatting at his head. “Hey I’m joking, you know I only have eyes for my Oracle of Quantico.”  
“Yeah that’s what I thought.” Garcia retorted, nodding at him. “Keep it up and the Oracle will be sleeping solo.”   
Morgan feigned and pained expression and put a hand on his heart. “Ouch baby girl, I’ll behave I swear.”  
With that the team split up to the separate areas of the yard to finish their assigned jobs. Garcia was happily filling the sandbox with sand and toys for Fia to play with, Hotch and Rossi were bickering like children over the best way to build the BBQ and Morgan was busy doing whatever it was Andy told him to, fully admitting he didn’t have the first idea about building a hot tub. Reid was still asleep upstairs and every so often one of them ran up to check on him, just to find him still sleeping seemingly peacefully for once.  
Garcia had finished filling the sandbox before any of the others had got very far with BBQ and hot tub so did a Starbucks run to keep spirits up as it was now starting to get hot as the time creeped towards 11am. By the time she got back, the hot tub was built, the BBQ was well on the way to being finish and Reid had just got out of bed and was sat on the patio nursing a large mug of coffee. Garcia handed out the Starbucks and both apologized to and berated Reid for not telling her he was awake so she could get him one as well. Reid waved her apology off reminding her that he’d been out of bed for all of 10 minutes so she’d have been on her way back by then anyway, forcing her to drop the subject all together.   
A hour and a half later and the yard was finished and the house spotless. The team were sat around the kitchen counter drinking yet more coffee and running the checklist Garcia had made to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. It had already been decided that Morgan and Garcia were going to the airport to pick Em, JJ and Fia up and the others were going to stay behind so as not to overwhelm Fia. The plan was for the new family to come home and settle down a little, Fia was likely to need a nap so that was going to happen and it would give the adults time to catch up before they ventured out for dinner at a the local Italian restaurant where Rossi had booked a private room.   
“Okay loves, me and Morgan are off to the airport to get our girls. We’ll be back in a bit.” Garcia smiled, scooping the keys to Morgan’s SUV up and throwing them at him.   
A round of ‘goodbyes’ later and Morgan and Garcia were in the car headed to the airport. The entire way there Garcia couldn’t stop grinning, their girls were coming home and the family would be back together.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

24 hours earlier. Pensacola, Florida.

“She really is perfect isn’t she?” JJ said, standing with her arms around Emily as they watched Fia sleeping peacefully in the makeshift cot they set up in the hotel room.   
Emily sighed and nodded. “She is, I still can’t believe she’s going to be ours.”   
It had been a surreal few weeks, everything that had happened, from the case, Emily being kidnapped and JJ being KOed to agreeing to adopt Fia and signing the paperwork to get the ball rolling all seemed like some kind of dream induced haze. Almost as though if Emily woke up someone would tell her that she’d simply imagined it all. It wasn’t a thought or idea that she wanted to entertain or even think about, after she gave her baby up for adoption all those years ago she never thought she’d get another chance to be a mom and now? Suddenly the opportunity had fallen into her lap and she wasn’t about to pass it up. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that Fia was somehow familiar but she also couldn’t put her finger on it.   
“Hey where’d you go?” JJ said, pulling Emily out of her own thoughts. “I’ve been talking to you for the last 10 minutes and you’ve not said a word.”  
“Oh sorry baby.” Emily said, shaking her head, clearing it a little. “I was just thinking about everything that’s happened lately. I didn’t intend to ignore you.”  
“It’s ok, I was just saying how we’ll probably have to tread carefully with Fia for a while, and we’ll have to be careful which doctors and specialists we take her to see.” JJ Said. “I was talking to Reid and he said he has contacts that helped his Mom so they may be able to help Fia as well, but we can hold off on that until we have her settled.”  
Emily smiled and nodded. “I think that’s a good idea, remind me to thank Spencer when we get back to Virginia will you?” She paused for a moment. “I also think that, for now at least, we should limit her contact with the outside world, it seems like she’s been kept in almost solitary confinement for several years, the Doctors weren’t able to determine how long, so suddenly being out in the world all the time and having to face lots of new people may overwhelm her and set her recovery back. What do you think? Just keep it to us and the team?”  
“I think that may be best.” JJ agreed. “We can always have the Doctors and whoever else needs to see Fia come to the house, though we can’t keep her cooped up all the time so maybe talking to Garcia or Hotch about her staying with them when we have to go away? I know Hotch will be away as well but maybe Jack can keep her company? Though I’m not sure how Jack may react to having her around.” She paused and bit her lip. “That’s definitely something we’ll have to discuss with Hotch though, I’d like her to have kids to hang out with, maybe there’s a support group we can go to?”  
Emily chuckled at her girlfriend's enthusiasm, she was glad that JJ was so open to the idea and so willing to go on this adventure with her but this was all stuff she hadn’t even thought about. JJ seemed to be so far ahead of her in terms of planning and preparing for what lay ahead whereas she was still trying to get her around it all.  
“What?” JJ asked, totally nonplussed as to what Emily found so funny. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?” The confused expression on her face just made Emily’s grin wider and she shook her head.  
“No babe, you didn’t I’m just happy that you’ve so readily accepted the situation and agreed to be a part of it.” She replied, pulling JJ into a soft kiss. “In fact somehow you’ve thought of things I hadn’t even considered, and now I’m just…” She trailed off and looked down at the ground.  
How on earth was she supposed to voice the notion that she wasn’t sure if she was cut out for motherhood, that she had essentially given up that right when she gave her baby away 22 years ago? Tears pricked her eyes as all of those thoughts wound their way around her mind and her heart, making her question every decision and choice she’d made about Fia and the future of their little family.   
“Oh Em.” JJ sighed, and moved closer to her, holding her in her arms. “The love you have for Fia is so obvious and okay so yeah, you normally are the more practical one but this time I am. This is a big change for you Em, normally so stoic and unemotional, with your famous compartments but you can’t put this in a compartment and just ignore it because it’s seared into your mind. That’s not a bad thing but you just aren’t used to showing emotion like this so it’s going to take some getting used to but I’m here, the team are behind us, together as a family we can make it thru the hard times and revel in the good times. All you’ve got to do is let us in ok?”  
The tears now fell freely from Emily’s eyes as she buried her head into JJ’s shoulder. She hadn’t realized just how difficult it was to finally let her guard down and let people in, JJ was different, JJ had seen her at her most vulnerable before they had started dating, JJ just had that ability when it came to Emily, the ability to see beyond her walls and her carefully constructed compartments, to see her for who she was and not who she let others see. The rest of the team were different though, they didn’t have that same ability as her beloved JJ, they saw the mask she had carefully constructed over the years and very rarely did they get a chance to see beyond that. She was so scared that she was going fail as a mother that she had been tempted to change her mind on several occasions, it was only JJ’s love and encouragement that she did in fact have the ability to be a good mother to Fia that kept her going during those moments of insecurity.  
“I can’t promise anything but I’ll try.” Emily finally said, her voice thick with tears and emotion. “I want to let you in, all of you, I just didn’t think it’d be this hard after all the time I’ve worked with you guys.” She admitted, more thinking out loud as opposed to talking directly to JJ, but the sentiment was there and JJ understood.  
“That’s all any of us can ask of you Em.” JJ reassured her. “We all understand that it’s not easy to open up, all of us to some extent have found a way to compartmentalize and block off our emotions, it’s just a part of the job, but sometimes you just gotta let those walls come down a little and let those emotions show.” The calm, soothing tone of her voice had the desired effect and Emily’s tears slowly began to stop making tracks down her face.  
The shorter brunette hiccuped as she managed to calm down and even out her breathing pattern, she rubbed her eyes as sudden exhaustion hit her and yawned deeply. She leaned more into the blonde’s taller frame and JJ gently supported her wate as they walked over to the bed. It wasn’t the same as Emily’s super-king sized bed at home but was big enough for both of them to lie comfortably next to each other. JJ helped Emily into the bed and curled around her, holding her close as Emily nuzzled into her chest.   
“Love you Jayje.” Was mumbled into her chest and JJ chuckled.  
“I love you as well Em, get some sleep now, we’ve got a long day tomorrow.” She replied, kissing the top of Emily’s head as they both fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Early the next morning JJ was woken by Fia jumping on her, she let out a groan and looked at the clock, 5:30am. Even after several years working with the BAU and the unpredictable start times, JJ was by far not a morning person. The only time she had no issues with being up at 5:30am was if she was still awake and not had the pleasure of sleeping yet.   
“Momma wake up!” Fia said, poking her face and pulling her eye open. “It wake up time!” She squirmed and JJ felt the telltale dampness that meant Fia needed at least a diaper change if not a bath as well.   
“Ok ok, momma’s up.” JJ said, still half asleep. “Someone needs a diaper change huh?” She sat up and smiled at Fia, kissing the top of her head.  
Fia blushed and nodded, ducking her head. “Sowwee Momma.” She said, eyes pricking with tears.  
JJ smiled softly and got out of bed, scooping her up into her arms. “It’s ok baby girl, that’s why you have the diaper on, I’m so proud of you for using it.”  
JJ carried Fia into the bathroom where they had set up a temporary changing table and lay her down on it. Fia giggled and kicked her legs as JJ pulled her pajama bottoms down and took her diaper off. The smell that hit her made JJ gag a little and she stuck her tongue out at Fia.  
“Good God kiddo has Mommy been feeding you extra super stinky stuff behind my back?” She joked, starting to clean her up. “Nope it’s no good, we’ll have to get you in the bath.”   
“Yay baf baf!” Fia grinned, holding her arms out for JJ to finish taking her pajamas off. “Nakie!” She giggled, kicking her legs more.  
JJ chuckled and turned the water on in the bath tub, adding lots of bubbles to the warm water. She made sure to keep one eye on the bath so it didn’t overflow or get to hot and the other eye on Fia to stop her from rolling off the changing table and running off, a new trick they discovered she had learnt when she escaped from Emily’s attempts to bath her when they first got to the hotel three days before.   
Emily had woken up to the sounds of Fia giggling with glee and splashing water. She slid out of the bed and made her way to the en-suite following the shrieks emanating from there. She pushed the door open and was met with a scene of minor chaos.   
“I thought I told you water needs to stay in the tub.” JJ scolded, but unable to hide the grin on her face as Fia was in the process of giving the blonde a bubble beard.  
“Momma piddee.” Fia giggled before looking over and spotting Emily stood in the doorway. “MOMMY!” She squealed, holding her arms out to Emily.   
“Hey baby girl.” Emily smiled, walking over to the pair. “Having fun in the bath with Momma?” She knelt down by the side of the tub and lent over to kiss JJ’s bubble covered cheek. “Morning sweetheart.”   
“Morning Em.” JJ smiled, kissing her cheek in return. “Yeah little stinker made a mess in her diaper so we had a bath to get her cleaned up.” She chuckled and ruffled Fia’s hair, getting another giggle from her.  
“Mommy wook bubbles!” Fia giggled and scooped some bubbles up, moving towards Emily’s face to spread them on her cheeks. Emily strategically moved out of arm's reach.  
“I see that honey, but let’s keep them in the tub and on you and Momma yeah?” The brunette replied with a smile. “Though maybe we need to get you guys out the tub now? It’s almost 7am and we need to eat before we head to the airport.”

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45 minutes later, all three of them were out of the bathroom, cleaned and dressed. It had been a battle getting Fia out of the tub, she had decided that she wanted to stay in the bath, the warm water and bubbles seemingly calming for her, something that Emily made a mental note of.   
JJ was now cradling the fussy toddler as they made their way down to the dining room to get some breakfast. Thankfully they were the only ones in for breakfast at this time in the morning so JJ was able to sit Fia in her custom made high chair.   
“I’ll get us some breakfast while you settle our little munchkin down.” Emily said, kissing the top of Fia’s head and heading over to the buffet to find each of them something to eat and drink.  
“Momma owt!” Fia cried, struggling against the straps keeping her safely in her chair.   
“No baby, you have to stay in your high chair while we eat breakfast.” JJ sighed softly, trying not to lose her temper, she was well aware that Fia was just scared, things were different today and the 2 year old didn’t handle different well.  
“Wan cuggels.” She whimpered, making grabby hands towards JJ, who court them and kissed both of her hands.  
“We can have cuddles after you’ve eaten something sweetheart.” She soothed, looking around and seeing Emily walking back towards them. “Oh look here comes Mommy with our breakfast.”  
Fia twisted around in her chair and made the same grabby hands towards Emily.  
“Hey baby girl.” Emily cooed, putting the food down on the table and kissing Fia’s cheek. “All ready for breakfast?”  
“Wan owt Mommy.” Fia whimpered, holding her arms out to her.  
Emily skillfully moved out of the toddler’s reach and shook her head. “Not yet baby, you have to eat some breakfast first, look I’ve got you a banana and some yogurt.” She smiled, peeling the banana and breaking it into pieces before passing the plate to Fia who took it and squashed the pieces of banana before throwing the plate on the floor and howling.   
“Sophia Prentiss-Jareau that is not acceptable behaviour!” JJ scolded.   
Fia glared at JJ and continued howling, for whatever reason she wasn’t happy and obviously wasn’t going to stop screaming until one of them caved and let her sit on there lap. Emily looked desperately at JJ who shook her head, she wasn’t going to let Fia get away with this sort of behaviour when they got back to Virginia so she definitely wasn’t going to let her get away with it now.   
“Fia honey, I need you to calm down and stop crying.” Emily said, trying to soothe the still screaming girl. “JJ help.” She mouthed, looking to her girlfriend.  
JJ stood up and walked round the table, turning Fia’s high chair around before crouching down in front of her and talking firmly. “Fia you need to stop this right now.” She made eye contact with her, letting her no she meant business. “I understand that you are scared and that you didn’t sleep very well but this is not the way you tell us ok?”   
Fia looked at JJ, still crying but she was showing signs of slowing down. She hit out at her Momma but was met by her Momma catching her fist firmly in her hand.  
“No.” JJ said firmly. “You do not hit out. Any more of this and you will be going in time out, do you understand?”  
Emily watched on, her heart hurting a little as she saw Fia still crying in earnest but both shocked and impressed with JJ’s handling of the situation, there was a part of her that found it a turn on, seeing the usually mild mannered blonde woman taking control and being firm.  
At the sound of her Momma’s firm tone and words Fia stopped crying and just sat whimpering, she was confused as to why her Momma was being so firm with her and angry that she wasn’t getting her own way, not something she was used to when it came to Emily and JJ, both women had a soft spot for her and normally gave into her demands. 

“There, that’s much better.” JJ said, her voice softening. “Now I love you but you need to behave and eat your breakfast then I promise you can have cuddles before we have to go to the airport.”  
Fia nodded tearfully, looking at JJ. “Sowwee Momma, wuv oos.” She whimpered.  
“Apology accepted sweetheart.” JJ smiled, standing up and kissing the top of her head as she spun her back around to face the table. “Now sit nicely and eat your yogurt please.”  
Emily opened the yogurt for Fia and scooted closer to her, to sit and feed her which seemed to keep her calm. She looked up at JJ who sat back down with a smile on her face, and poured sugar into her coffee. Once Fia had finished her yogurt and Emily had drunk her coffee and had a pastry, she scooped her daughter up into her arms and held her close. 

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As they walked into the airport, JJ pushing Fia in her pram, both women were glad that Hotch had called in a favour and got them tickets that included being able to stay in a private lounge to relax and prepare Fia for the long flight ahead. The family found the room and got themselves settled in as someone handed them drinks. JJ sat Fia on the floor and gave her some picture books to look at, and she gave her a bottle of warm milk to drink as well.  
“So, um did we figure out how we were going to keep her calm during the flight home?” Emily asked, keeping her voice low so Fia wasn’t able to listen in.  
“We’re going to give her sleeping medicine to knock her out.” JJ replied, glancing over at Fia, sat drinking her milk.  
Emily nodded, biting her lip, she wasn’t sure how well the sleeping tablets were going to work but they had to give it a try, Fia had been so unsettled over the last few days that if they wanted peace and for Fia to get home without getting herself totally worked up it was the only solution they had been able to think off.  
“Mommy?” Fia said, she’d crawled over to them and was now sat tugging on her pants leg. “Mommy, come weed pees?”   
Emily smiled and nodded. “Sure baby, thank you for asking so nicely, can Momma come and read with us as well?”  
Fia didn’t answer but tugged JJ’s pants leg as well so JJ took that as agreement and went over to settle herself down on one of the comfy beanbags as Emily and Fia joined her.  
The trio sat together reading stories for a hour before they got the notice that was time to board the plane. Emily and JJ looked at each other and then down at Fia who was curled up in between them, seemingly on the verge of sleep, after a silent conversation between them they decided to see how Fia did without the sleeping tablet but keep them handy just in case. JJ slowly stood up, careful not to jostle Fia and wake her up properly before Emily passed her up and stood herself. One final check of the room to make sure they had everything and the family made their way to the boarding area and got on the plane ready for take off. Fia had now fallen asleep completely and was curled up in her seat with a paci in her mouth and her stuffie that Garcia had got her tucked under her arm.  
Emily and JJ smiled at each other and settled down in their seats, reclining them a little so they could both get some more sleep on the plane. Emily sighed and relaxed back, closing her eyes and feeling herself succumb to sleep. In a few hours they’d be touching down on Virginia soil where Morgan and Garcia were going to meet them and a short drive later they’d be back in their own house, in their own bed. They were going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little while to get up, I had some serious writers block D:


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking, we will shortly begin our descent into Virginia airport so if you can please fasten your seatbelts until we land. Thank you for flying with us today.”   
The voice floated over the tannoy waking Emily from her slumber, she glanced over at Fia and JJ who were both still fast asleep, Fia curled up in JJ’s lap, her head tucked under the blonde's chin. She woke JJ and pointed to the now lit ‘fasten seatbelts’ sign and JJ nodded, maneuvering Fia back into her seat and pulling her seatbelt around. Thankfully Fia stayed asleep so obviously the warm milk and stories had done a good enough job that they hadn’t needed to give her the sleeping tablet. Both women ensured that they had their seatbelts securely fastened and did a final check that they still had everything they had boarded the plane with.   
Half an hour later the plane touched down on the runway and passengers started to disembark, the couple had already decided that it was best to let everyone else get off first before attempting to wake Fia and take her off the plane, this was partly to keep Fia’s stress levels to a minimum but they had also decided that if they left the plane after everyone else they wouldn’t have to worry about any of them giving strange looks or making negative comments about the family.   
“Fia? Baby?” JJ spoke softly so as not to startle her and stroked her cheek gently. “Fia, it’s time to wake up honey.” Chocolate brown eyes blinked up at her and JJ smiled. “There’s my beautiful girl, hi honey.” She cooed.  
“Momma?” Fia’s voice was thick with sleep as she rubbed her eyes and blinked more. “Hi Momma.” She added, a sleepy grin spread across her face as she started squirming a little. Her diaper was wet and uncomfortable but she didn’t want to admit that.  
JJ unclipped her and scooped her up onto her hip, instantly feeling her damp diaper. “Ok baby girl, it’s time to get off the plane now. We’ll get you changed before we go and meet Aunty Pen and Uncle Morgan yeah? But first we need to go catch Mommy up so we don’t get left behind.” She said, her eyes going wide, playing with Fia who gasped and nodded.  
“Find Mommy Momma!” She said, a slight whimper in her voice. “No get behind.”   
JJ chuckled and carried Fia off the plan, Emily of course was waiting for them by the gates and Fia instantly started squirming in JJ’s arms, wanting to be let down so she could go to her Mommy. JJ let her go but stayed close behind her as Fia all but ran into Emily’s waiting arms. JJ smiled and mouthed “Wet diaper” and Emily nodded and started to head towards the restrooms to change their daughter. Fia stayed with her head tucked into Emily’s neck as she was carried, her body and mind still fighting off sleep. Once changed the family headed out into the arrivals hall where they saw Morgan and Garcia waiting for them. Fia instantly perked up at the sight of her Aunty Pen and started kicking her legs, giggling.  
“Ant Pen! Ant Pen!” She squealed, reaching out for her. “I ere! I hom!” Garcia smiled and took Fia into her arms, holding her close.  
“Yes, my baby girl is home.” Garcia cooed, stroking her hair as she nuzzled into her neck.   
“Hey Pen, hey Morgan, thanks for coming to pick us up.” Emily said, smiling and hugging Morgan, not being able to get close enough to Garcia to give her a proper hug as Fia was gripping onto her like her life depended on it.  
“Hey don’t sweat it Mamma.” Morgan replied in his usual silky smooth tone. “We wouldn’t have left you stranded.”   
JJ rolled her eyes and moved to hug Morgan herself. “Is there ever going to be a time when you aren’t going to hit on my girl?” She joked, punching him lightly on the shoulder.   
“I wouldn’t count on it Jayje, Derek Morgan always wants what he can’t have.” Emily winked before turning back to Garcia. “Are we good to go?” She asked, getting a nod in response.   
The 4 adults and Fia went out into parking lot and quickly found Morgan’s SUV. Fia was once again fast asleep Garcia still holding her close as Morgan unlocked his car and pulled the door open to allow her to sit Fia in her car seat, pulling a blanket over her sleeping form, Emily slid in beside her with JJ on Emily’s other side, Morgan and Garcia got into the front seat and Morgan stuck his key in the ignition and the car roared into life.

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“We’re home!” Emily called out into the seemingly empty house, she wasn’t sure why she’d called out like that, as far as she was aware they were the only ones in the house, her, JJ, Fia, Morgan and Garcia. Maybe it was just that she was happy to be back in her own house, in her own space after everything that had happened over the last few weeks she wasn’t sure that she’d ever make it back to Virginia alive, let alone being in her own house and being able to sleep in her own bed once more.  
JJ was carrying Fia while Morgan and Garcia had their bags sorted, JJ’s ears pricked as she heard rustling in the next room, suddenly wishing she had her gun to hand her eyes went wide as she looked to Morgan who just shrugged and smiled back. The group made their way cautiously into the next room, it was dark but JJ could still hear the rustling and what she thought was voices whispering just out of her field of vision.  
“WELCOME HOME!!” The voices of the rest of their team, along with Andy, Jack and Jess rang out as Emily flicked the light on. Emily and JJ both stopped dead and Fia looked very confused, she’d only met Reid and Rossi once and hadn’t been awake at all whenever Hotch visited so as far as she was concerned all six faces were new and she was incredibly unsure about the strangers stood in front of her.  
“Wow this is a surprise.” Emily said, stepping forward to greet everyone. “Jack, how you doing little man?” She smiled and scooped the small boy up in her arms.  
“Hey Aunt Emily, I missed you! Where you been?” He asked, winding his legs around her middle like a monkey up a tree.  
“Well buddy, that’s something maybe your Daddy needs to tell you about?” She said, not wanting to step on Hotch’s toes if he wasn’t ready to tell Jack what had happened.  
At 5 years old Jack Hotchner had already seen more than his fair share of trauma and death, he’d been there when his mother Hayley was shot and killed by Charles Foyet and he understood so much more than most children his age but even so the team as a whole often wanted to keep Jack as separated from their day jobs as they could. Hotch bent down next to his son who slid down Emily’s body, sitting himself on the floor.  
“Hey Jack, do you remember when I came home and we sat down on the couch and had a chat about a very special person that was going to be coming to live with Emily and JJ?” He said, looking at Jack, who nodded but didn’t say anything. “Well that’s where Emily has been, she and JJ had to stay behind to help that special person be ready to come and live with them.”  
Emily joined father and son on the floor and Jack looked at her, a curious expression on his face. “Daddy’s right buddy, I was helping someone who needed us, she’s going to be joining our little family but she’s a little different ok?” She looked at him to gauge his response. He didn’t say anything but nodded slowly to show he understood. “Well Jack I’d like you to meet Fia.” She looked up at JJ who smiled and carried Fia over with her and sat down with them.   
“Fia honey, can you say hi to Jack?” JJ prompted and Fia looked around and saw the small boy, she whimpered and buried her face back into JJ’s neck. Jack’s face fell and he shrunk back into his Dad’s arms.   
“It’s ok buddy, Fia is just a little shy, everything is very new for her and although she’s a big girl like Aunty Emily and JJ, because of things that have happened to her in her past in her mind she’s only a baby, a 2 year old in fact.” Hotch said, holding his son close to comfort him. “We were hoping that you and Fia may become friends, what do you think?”  
Jack thought for a moment, looking up into his dad’s eyes before looking between Emily, JJ and Fia. As Emily watched him it was almost as if she could see the cogs turning in his head as he processed the information. He bit his lip, still a little unsure about the situation but nodded slowly. “Ok I can try.” He said finally, moving from his dad’s arms to Emily’s, to be closer to Fia, still with her face buried in her Momma’s neck. “Hi Fia, I’m Jack, I’m 5 and I like super heroes.”   
Fia glanced at Jack, he was sat in her Mommy’s arms with a smile on his face. She looked up at her Momma who nodded encouragingly and she then looked back at Jack. “Hewwo.” She said shyly, the nervous tone in her voice still obvious, though thankfully not to Jack who just seemed glad that Fia was looking at him. “I Fia, I dis many.” She added and held up 2 fingers before putting them in her mouth and burying her face back in her Momma’s neck.   
“Well done baby, that was such a good use of your words.” JJ praised her before looking at Jack. “Good job buddy, that was really nice of you.” She added, showering praise on Jack as well.   
“Thanks Aunt JJ.” Jack said, smiling up ar her. “Is Fia my friend now?” The child like innocence in that one question made the adult’s around him smile fondly.   
“It may take some time buddy but it’s a good start.” JJ responded, reaching a hand out to ruffle his hair. “Like your Daddy said, Fia is still very shy and not so good with meeting new people so it may take a little time before she’s comfortable around you like she is me and Emily ok?”  
“Oh ok, Daddy said something about pizza?” Was Jack’s only response making everyone around him chuckle. “And ice-cream?” He added hopefully.  
“Who’s got the pizza menu?” Garcia said, pulling out a notepad and fluffy pen to take down everyone’s orders so it was easier for her to remember who wanted what and just what it was she’d be ordering.  
“There’s one pinned to the noticeboard in the office, as you are well aware Garcia.” Emily quipped. “Though last time I checked don’t we always order the same thing?”  
“Well yeah I guess that’s true but we’ve never had Jack and Jess around when we’ve ordered pizza before.” Garcia pointed out. “I’ll go and get the menu anyway cause sometimes it’s good to mix things up a little.”  
“That’s a good point, we can’t leave Jack and Jess with our left overs can we?” Hotch said, he was aware that his team had a habit of picking strange combinations, something made worse when both Emily and Morgan were around as they tended to try out do each other with the strange combinations. “Last time I checked the last pizza Emily ordered had anchovies, pineapple, onions and tuna on it.”   
Emily blushed as the collected group gave her a strange look. “Hey in my defence Morgan had that plus pepperoni, spicy chicken and Jalapenos.” It was Morgan’s turn to blush now as the strange looks were turned on him.  
“Uncle Derek you are strange.” Jack said, as if that settled the matter once and for all. “I like ham and cheese and just normal chicken.” Garcia smiled and made a note of it before looking at Jess who shrugged.  
“I’m gonna have to see that menu, after what I’ve heard I definitely do not want Morgan or Emily’s left overs! I agree with my Nephew, you guys are strange.” Jess looked between the pair as they shared a knowing look between them, now was not the time for one of their strange food competitions, last time Emily had been out for a week with food poisoning and she didn’t need that at the moment.  
Garcia left and came back moments later, pizza menu in hand and passed it to Jess first who looked down at it, studying it for a good five minutes before ordering a meat feast with extra pepperoni. Jack asked for ham and chicken with extra cheese, Reid and Andy decided to split a ham and pineapple, Rossi asked for a simple pepperoni, Hotch decided to share Jess’ meat feast, Morgan asked for a spicy meat feast with extra jalapenos, Emily and JJ split a BBQ pizza with Fia as she still wasn’t eating much ‘adult’ food and Garcia had her usual vegetarian pizza. The entire team had garlic dough balls, chicken wings and potato wedges to share between them as well as agreeing to hit the local ice cream parlour afterwards as had been promised.  
3 hours later everyone was fed and they’d all congregated back at Emily’s house to spend some quality time as a group before Hotch and the others had to get back to work. Emily and JJ still had another 3 weeks off with Fia to help her settle in before they were due back, something they were incredibly pleased about, they hadn’t thought Strauss would have agreed to it but Hotch had obviously pulled some strings to get them the time they needed and according to Garcia, the boss hadn’t asked many questions, information that shocked everyone in the team as they were aware how strict Strauss was about rules and doing things by the book.   
“So Strauss seriously didn’t question the fact you’d given us a month off as a minimum?” JJ asked, cradling Fia in her arms.   
“Not after I gave her the basics of the case and told her it was essential for you both to have the time off.” Hotch said, Jack curled up in his own lap. “I have to admit I was a little shocked she didn’t grill me more but I’m glad, I’m sure there would have been some questions she wanted answering that I wouldn’t have been able to.”   
“That’s… Well I guess my question is, is she ok?” Emily asked, walking in with a tray of coffees for everyone. “Not that I’m not glad she didn’t ask you any awkward questions but seriously that is not like her at all.”  
“She has been more withdrawn lately.” Rossi noted, speaking for the first time in a while. “I’ve not seen her hanging around the bullpen lately and that’s always been one of her favourite hobbies.”  
“Honestly I’m not sure, you do make a good point though Rossi, she has spent less time hovering over us.” Hotch mused, gladly taking the offered mug of coffee from Emily. “Garcia have you...”  
“No Sir, I make a point of not delving into the personal lives of anyone on the team let alone Chief Strauss.” Garcia cut in, a look of pure shock on her face that he’d even suggest something like that.  
“Garcia calm down that’s not what I was asking.” Hotch replied, trying to calm her a little. “I was simply going to ask if she’d had a larger number of meetings or days out of the office in her schedule?”  
“Oh I uh, sorry Sir.” She replied, blushing and ducking her head. “Well not that I’ve been aware of, but I don’t really handle her schedule I just sit in my lair and help you guys.” She bit her lip, thinking hard. “Although come to think of it, she has been spending a lot of time video conferencing with someone but I can’t say who or what they’ve been talking about, not because I’ve been sworn to secrecy but I genuinely haven’t been told.”  
The group fell into a thoughtful silence, each of them trying to understand why Strauss was being both so secretive but also so agreeable to Hotch’s requests and not questioning the actions of the team as she was so prone to doing. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door bell ringing. JJ looked curiously at Emily who returned her gaze with equal confusion.  
“Are you expecting anyone honey?” JJ asked Emily who shook her head, biting her lip.  
“No not me, are you?” Emily responded causing JJ to shake her head in turn. “I wonder who’s calling at this time of nite?” She looked down at her watch. “It’s almost 9pm and all of our friends are sat around us.”  
Emily stood up and went to open the door, she pulled it open and her mouth dropped, the last person she thought or expected to be at her front door was now stood in front of her. “Mother?”


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Hello Emily.” Elizabeth Prentiss stood in the doorway a suitcase propped against the wall next to her.  
“Mother, what are you doing here?” Emily said, shaking herself out of her stupor as she blinked, she couldn’t believe that her mother was actually stood in front of her.   
“Well darling I was in the country and thought I’d come and visit my favourite daughter.” The Ambassador said simply, causing Emily to scoff at her.  
“First of all mother I’m your only child let alone daughter and second what happened to calling first?” Emily rarely had patience for her mother and right this moment was incredibly bad timing, she hadn’t told her mother about JJ or Fia and she didn’t particularly want her finding out now.  
“Em? Baby who is…” JJ started as she walked over to see where Emily had got to. “Oh, good evening Ambassador Prentiss.” She finished, back tracking quickly as she realized who it was.  
“Jennifer, it’s good to see you again.” Elizabeth said, nodding curtly at her. “Now Emily, it’s been a long day and I’ve had a very long flight from Rome so are you going to let me in or not?” As usual Emily’s mother was all business and seemed to left her manners on the plane or maybe in Rome as she claimed she had just flown from.  
Emily shifted uncomfortably and didn’t meet her mother’s eye as she spoke. “It’s um, it’s not really a good time mother.” She mumbled, desperately trying to think of a plausible reason to deny her mother entry to the house.  
“Whatever can you mean Emily?” Her mother shot back. “How can this not be a good time? Can you not make time for your mother who has flown all this way to see you?”  
Emily’s face paled and she looked around, anywhere apart from at her mother who was staring her down and tapping her foot impatiently, her arms crossed. Just as she was about to cave and let her mother in Hotch came to door and spoke directly to her mother.  
“Ambassador Prentiss, while I’m sure Emily is thrilled that you’ve come here especially to see her I’m afraid I cannot allow you to stay with her at this time.” Hotch was all business and although Emily and JJ could tell he was making whatever this was up on the spot they both looked serious and nodded along pretending to understand what was going on. “Emily and Jennifer are about to go deep undercover and I’m here with our team briefing them as to how this mission is going to work and what precisely they have to do. I apologize but this is all the information I can give you, the less people that are aware of this mission the better so for now I must bid you a good night.” With that Hotch shut the door in Elizabeth’s face and turned to a shocked Emily and JJ.  
“Um not that I’m not grateful to you for dealing with my mother Hotch but uh what was that?” Emily said, shock and awe written all over her face. Did she really just witness someone closing a door in her mother's face? Moreover did her mother actually accept it and walk away with question or argument? “Someone pinch me.” JJ grinned and pinched her arm gently. “Ow ok nope I didn’t just dream that.” She said with some conviction in her voice.  
“You can just say thank you Emily.” Hotch replied, a smug smile on his face. “But that was a get out of jail free card, if your mother asks me at any point what this ‘mission’ is I will cover for you and get Garcia to make up some fake files with minimal details of a case that will never exist outside of our team.”   
“Hotch I…” Emily was still in shock that anyone had the balls to say something like that to her mother, let alone close a door in her face. “Thank you. I owe you one.”   
“And I’ll be sure to collect on it next time Jack is misbehaving.” Hotch replied simply, turning around and walking back into to rejoin the team.   
“Well that solves that problem for now.” JJ said jokingly, pulling Emily into a hug. “You don’t have to stress out about how to tell your mother about Fia for at least another year or so.”  
Emily held onto JJ, tears in her eyes as she buried her face into her girlfriend’s neck. “I can’t believe Hotch did that.”   
“Well what can I say, our boss has his moments of absolute genius and he normally saves them for times like this.” JJ chuckled. “Come on babe, let's go back and join everyone else.” She gently steered the still crying Emily back in the direction of their friends and sat down on the couch, sitting Emily down on her lap.   
“Hotch just told us what happened, I can’t believe your mother would just turn up like that Em.” Garcia said, shaking her head. “But don’t worry my babies, I’ve got you covered I can have a fake mission and files done by the morning, just in case the Ambassador comes sniffing around in the morning.”   
“Thanks Pen, you’re a star.” Emily sighed, looking down at Fia who was curled up in Morgan’s lap half asleep. “What time is it Jayje? Maybe we need to get our little one to bed, also Hotch if you and Jack want to stay we can have rooms you can sleep in, that goes for all of you.” She added.  
“Thanks Emily, it is getting close to Jack’s bedtime.” Hotch nodded, noting that is was almost 7:30. “It’s actually half 7 so maybe both kids need to go to bed.” He suggested, Jack was all but asleep in his dad’s arms. “What do you say little man? Sleepover at Aunt Em and Aunt JJ’s tonight?”  
“Yeah! That ok Aunt Em?” Jack asked, looking at Emily who smiled and nodded. “YAY!!!” He grinned and bounced up and down in his dad’s lap.   
“But you have to have a bath first, both you and Fia.” JJ cut in, putting a stop to Jack’s bouncing.  
“Do I have toooo?” Jack whined, pouting up at her.  
“Yes Jack, those are the rules in our house, all children must have a bath before bed, but if you ask nicely I’m sure we can find some bubbles to put in there.” JJ replied, firmly, looking over at Hotch who nodded in agreement.   
“Ubbals?” Fia perked up, her eyes still showing signs of wanting to sleep. “Ess pees Momma!”   
Emily chuckled and stood up, scooping Fia up into her arms. “Ok baby girl, bath time it is.” She looked down at Jack and held her hand out to him. “Coming Jack?”  
“Yeah!” Jack grinned and jumped out of his Dad’s lap and grabbed Emily’s hand, yawning a little as the three of them headed to the bathroom next to Fia’s bedroom.  
“Okay Jack can you be a big boy and watch Fia for me while I go and get her a clean diaper and some pjs?” Emily asked, putting Fia down on the floor next to Jack who nodded eagerly.   
Emily returned a few minutes later to find Jack sat on the floor with Fia playing with one of Fia’s discarded balls that Jack had apparently found tucked under her changing table after Fia had emptied her travel backpack out onto the floor. The pair were sat a few feet from each other rolling the ball back and forth between their legs, seemingly blissfully unaware that Emily was now stood in the doorway watching them with a smile on her face. She silently sent Hotch and JJ and text telling them to sneak up and come and see them playing for themselves and a moment later she was joined by her boss and her girlfriend who both had identical smiles to her.   
“Weeeeee!” Fia giggled as she pushed the ball back towards Jack who skillfully guided it into his lap with his hands.  
“Good job Fia!” He praised her, causing the other child to grin widely.  
The adults stood and watched them for a few more minutes before Emily decided that it was time to put a stop to the game and get back on track with bed time.   
“Hey guys, good game and thank you for looking after Fia for me Jack but we need to get you both in the bath now kay?” Emily said in a cheerful, sing-song, type voice. Both kids jumped a little and looked around at Emily. “I love how good you are at encouraging Fia Jack, that’s a good job.” The brunette added, causing the young boy to grin proudly up at her before noticing his Dad stood there with her.  
“Did you see Dad?” He asked, standing up and jumping up into his Dad’s arms. “I was good, I helped Aunty Emily! We played with Fia’s ball.”  
Hotch picked his son up and smiled widely at him. “I did buddy and I agree with Aunty Emily, you did a good job there, I’m so proud of you.” Jack smiled wider and puffed his chest out as Fia crawled over and wound herself around Hotch’s leg, grinning up at Jack. Hotch smiled and bent down to pick Fia up, sitting her on his other hip as she cuddled into him.   
Emily edged passed them and ran the bath, adding the promised bubbles and maybe going a little overboard with them as by the time the bath was full it was possibly more bubbles than water.   
“Ok all small people need to come and get the bath now.” Emily cooed, walking back to Hotch and taking Fia into her arms as she started to struggle.   
“No Mommy no baf!” Fia was wailing in her arms, kicking and squirming, desperately trying to break free from Emily’s arms, so much so that Emily herself almost dropped Fia and snapped at her.  
“Quit it! Or you’ll be going in time out until you behave and then you’ll be getting in the bath regardless of if it’s gone cold and the bubbles have all popped. Do you understand me?” Emily’s voice was firm and her face left no room for misinterpretation that she was not happy about how Fia was currently behaving.  
Fia scowled at her Mommy, her face still a dark red as her crying stopped. She hit out half-heartedly at Emily again but barely made contact with her arm before giving in and letting out a huff. Emily simply stared her down for a few moments before dumping her unceremoniously into the bath next to Jack who had chosen to simply get in the bath with no arguments what so ever.

Once in the bath Fia relaxed a little, letting the water soothe her aching body. She wasn’t really mad or upset, she’d just had a long day and so was now starting to get grumpy as all she wanted to do was go to bed and go to sleep but in her current mindset she couldn’t voice that as she just didn’t know how to and that in itself was incredibly frustrating. She wanted to let her older self take over and tell Emily that she was sorry for hitting out at her and how grateful she was to both her and JJ for taking her in and being so understanding but her body and mind were so exhausted she wasn’t sure she’d be able to voice it even then.  
Emily noticed the shift in Fia’s body language, she sensed that Sophia was trying to surface but for whatever reason she wasn’t able to. The older woman simply squeezed her daughter’s shoulder to let her know that she understood and it was ok, Sophia didn’t have to talk to them just yet if she wasn’t ready to but when she was they’d be there to listen. JJ was still stood in the doorway, watching them curiously but sensed that it wasn’t the time to ask Emily just what had happened.   
Fia was now happily splashing away with Jack, both of them piling bubbles onto each others faces, giggling away to themselves as if in the middle of some secret game that the adults simply didn’t have the capacity to understand. Emily stood up and moved back a little bit, to give the kids a sense of independance but still close enough so that if anything were to happen she would be there to help them out.  
Down in the kitchen, Garcia had taken it upon herself to make Jack a cup of warm hot chocolate and Fia a bottle of warm milk for them to enjoy after they had finished in the bath and were snuggled up in PJ’s all ready for bed.   
10 minutes later Emily and Hotch had both children washed and out of the bath, Jack was currently trying to put his PJ’s on by himself and was almost there but the lavender bubble bath Emily had snuck into the bath was having the desired effect and was making the 5 year old rather sleepy so he finally gave up and crawled into his Dad’s lap, shoving his PJ’s into Hotch’s arms with a sleepy mumble of ‘Daddy heeeeeeelp.’ Fia on the other hand now had her diaper on but wasn’t making it easy for Emily to put her onesie on, however one glare from the older woman was all that was needed to prevent the possible tantrum that was brewing.  
Garcia appeared in the doorway to the bathroom holding the drinks for her adoptive niece and nephew, she took her role as Aunty Garcia very seriously indeed and was well known for spoiling Jack at every possible opportunity and both Emily and JJ were convinced that she’d be just the same with Fia nowadays.

Jack spotted Garcia first and ran over to her, stopping just short of hitting her legs. “Hey Aunt Pen!” He grinned up at her. “That for me?”   
“Yes little man, the hot chocolate is for you.” Garcia grinned down at him before looking over at Em. “I’ve made Fia a bottle up as well, when she’s ready for it.”  
“Thanks Pen, can you just take it into her nursery for me please? We’ll be in there in a minute, Jack honey the room at the end of the hall is all set up for you to sleep in, I think there may even be a couple of teddies in there for you as well.” Emily replied, zipping Fia’s onesie up and picking her up off the changing table.  
“Thanks Emily!” Jack said, bounding down the hall to find the room Emily had said was set up for him. “Look Daddy! There’s books as well.” He came bounding back out of the room carrying a book in his hand for Hotch to read to him.  
“Ok buddy, I’m coming, don’t forget to thank Garcia for making you the hot chocolate.” Hotch replied, following him back down the hall.  
“Thanks Aunty Pen!” Jack called over his shoulder as he went back into the bedroom, diving on the bed, getting himself comfy in the bed to wait for his Daddy to bring him the hot chocolate and sit and read to him.  
“You are so welcome little man.” Garcia called back, heading into Fia’s nursery, making doubly sure that everything was set up and ready for Fia’s first night in Virginia and the house that she was now going to be calling home. She pulled the blinds closed, set up the lamp to give off a calm, relaxing atmosphere for Emily to settle her down. The large rocking chair they had specially built was in one corner of the room with a blanket for comfort. Garcia placed the bottle of milk on the side next to the rocking chair and left the room, sticking her head back into the bathroom to let Emily know it was all ready.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Once Emily had settled Fia down and Hotch had finished reading Jack the storybook he’d chosen the adults were all sat back in the living room, each of them with a cold beverage of varying degrees of alcoholic strength.  
“Fia settled much quicker than I thought she was going to, considering how much she was playing up at bathtime.” Emily commented, settling herself on the floor between JJ’s feet and resting her back on the couch. “Though maybe she was just being cranky because she wanted to go to sleep?”  
JJ sighed softly and started to play with Emily’s brunette hair, and massaging her neck gently. “That may have been it, she hasn’t been sleeping well the last few days and I think she knew that tonight was the first night where she really didn’t to worry about being her, the first night she knows she’s totally safe and home.” She mused, still playing with her girlfriends hair.  
“Whatever was going on in her little mind it’s a good thing she’s settled so quickly and so well.” Rossi chimed in. “She’s a cute kid but she’s going to be a handful that’s for sure.”  
“Don’t we know it?” Emily grinned, shaking her head. “Though of course she may be a handful but at the same time she’s ours and we’ll love her regardless.”   
“That she is baby, and regardless of how difficult and challenging her behaviour may be at the moment or even if she decides that she wants to be her older self again that’s perfectly fine as well.” JJ added. In truth she was concerned about what may happen if Sophia did decide to make a full time appearance as there was still a chance that Sophia could be prosecuted if so but as long as she stayed in her ‘little’ mindset she was going to be safe from all convictions and from anything else bad happening to her, they’d do everything in their power to keep Fia safe for as long as they could.  
“Have you done what we discussed at the hospital back in Pensacola Emily?” Hotch enquired.   
Emily bit her lip and nodded slowly. “We have but honestly Hotch I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, won’t it cause Fia more stress?”   
It was natural for Emily and JJ to be worried about Fia, they’d taken this role as parents very seriously and they wanted to protect her at all costs. When Hotch had suggested to Emily that they take her to a psychiatrist and get a proper diagnosis for Fia and make sure that they had as much evidence as they could to say that Fia wasn’t fit to stand trial and to that extent would never be fit to stand trial, if it turned out that she was somehow involved in what had happened in Florida she had been angry with him. Emily and Hotch had discussed it at length and eventually Emily had agreed to talk to JJ about it before any decision was made, she was going to be JJ’s daughter as well after all.   
“I understand that both of you are concerned about Fia and her mental health, nor do I blame either of you for that but think of it more as an insurance policy, that no matter what happens Fia will never be taken from you nor will she ever have to relive the horrors of what happened to her, unless she wants to, beyond the appointments it takes for the psychiatrist to make a diagnosis and write a detailed report.” Hotch reassured them. “Take it from a parent who had to make this choice when Jack witnessed what he did with Foyet, before he refused to sleep unless I was in bed with him and we had the light on, waking up several times a night with horrific nightmares and now, a mug of hot chocolate, a bedtime story and he falls straight to sleep and that’s the last I hear from him until the next morning most nights. Some nights he wakes with night terrors but not often.”  
Both women nodded slowly, of course Hotch was right, he’d been there, not identical circumstances granted but similar as both situations involved children that suffered trauma of some description. They couldn’t help but doubt whether or not it was going to be good for Fia in the long run but they knew that it needed to happen.   
“Sorry Hotch I guess we’re just new to this parenting thing, we don’t want to do anything that risks making Fia suffer more.” JJ said, looking over at her boss. “Not that either of us doubt you being absolutely right in this we’re just nervous about exposing her to a clinical setting like that so soon after we get her home.”  
Emily nodded in agreement, moving to sit in JJ’s lap, needing the comfort of being close to her girlfriend. She was doing her best to relax but she couldn’t seem to, her mind was now racing, she’d made several calls to all the hospitals in the area trying to find a psychiatrist that had experience with cases like Fia’s but it hadn’t been easy and now she was sat here, Fia sleeping up in her nursery, questioning whether she was doing everything she could to keep her daughter safe. JJ sensed her girlfriends unrest and held her close, resting Emily’s head on her chest so that the older woman was able to use her heartbeat to calm her down a little. Slowly Emily felt her body relaxing into JJ’s arms and she let out a yawn, barely able to keep her eyes open.  
“I think I’m gonna take Em up to bed, sorry guys, I’ll be back in a minute, Morgan can you pour me another glass of wine please?” JJ said, standing up and cradling Emily in her arms.   
“Yeah you got it Mamma.” Morgan grinned, picking up her discarded glass and walking into the kitchen to refill it.  
JJ carried Emily up to their bedroom and lay her gently on the bed. Emily instantly curled up on the side of the bed that JJ lay her down, JJ chuckled and covered her over with the duvet, kissing the top of her head and whispering ‘goodnight’ to her before tiptoeing back out. She pulled the door to but didn’t fully close it as she knew that Emily liked sleeping with her door open a little, more so now they had Fia around to look after. She paused outside the nursery, listening to the sound of Fia breathing softly, still sound asleep. For her own peace of mind JJ went back down to the other end of the hall to check on Jack who was also sleeping soundly, sleeping on his stomach with a teddy tucked under each arm. JJ smiled fondly at him before heading back down to rejoin the rest of the group.  
“Both kids are still fast asleep.” JJ said, smiling over at Hotch and taking hwe now refilled glass of wine from Morgan. “Jack is fast asleep on his front, it looks like he face planted the bed.” She chuckled as Hotch sighed and shook his head.  
“He gets that from his Mom I think, if I came home late and Hayley was already in bed she’d be flat out on her stomach snoring a little.” Hotch replied, smiling a little sadly at the memory of his wife.  
“Hey don’t blame your wife for the fact that your son sleeps in a strange position.” Jess said, grinning and nudging Hotch in his ribs. “From what Hayley said you sleep in some bizarre ways as well.”  
The assembled adults all started to laugh as each member of Hotch’s team thought about all the different positions they had found their boss sleeping in on the plane and on odd occasions at his desk.  
“Yeah he definitely gets the faceplanting from you Hotch.” Morgan said, thinking back to the time he’d found Hotch with his head on the desk in a stack of files and paperwork. “Don’t forget that time you literally fell asleep face down in a pile of paperwork.”   
“And the time you fell asleep standing up on a case.” Reid chimed in. “I think you scared the lead detective on that case, you managed to fall asleep mid sentence with your eyes open.”   
Everyone winced at the memory of that, it had creeped most of them out, they just all hid it well as if it was totally normal for one of the team to do something like that.  
“Ok, ok I get the message.” Hotch cut the talk short, rolling his eyes at them. “Maybe it’s a combination of both me and Hayley.” He relented, earning a chuckle.   
They fell into a comfortable, sleepy silence as the days events suddenly hit each of them to different degrees.   
Garcia smiled as she looked around at all of her friends gathered in the room, a rare occasion when they weren’t working. Of course they always tried to spend some down time together when they had the down time but sadly at the moment it was becoming increasingly rare. Nowadays when they got home from a case, all each of them wanted to do was head home to their loved ones and sleep, something that was relatively easy for Emily and JJ as well as Morgan and Garcia as they left work together and while the girls tended to sleep here at Emily’s house, Morgan and Garcia switched between his house and her little flat, depending on how late it was and how desperate they were to get to sleep as Garcia’s flat was closer to Quantico. Rossi often went home alone as he was currently single, although sometimes if they got back in the morning he’d head back with Hotch to catch a nap and then hang out with him and Jack for the day. Reid, the youngest of them, usually got picked up by Andy as he preferred not to drive, it wasn’t that he wasn’t able to drive, he just wasn’t as confident behind the wheel as the others. Hotch had a tendency to sleep in his office if they got back late, none of them were sure exactly why he did that but they didn’t question it either, each of them had their theories and each of them pretended that they didn’t notice the fact their fearless leader did it.  
Now as she looked at them, Garcia couldn’t help but feel intense pride that she was a part of this team. Each of them had their strengths and it was at times like this, when they all banded together to help one of them in need that those strengths were highlighted.  
She always thought she was privileged to be a part of such an infamous team but it was times like this when it really hit home just how much of a family they were, it was so heartwarming to her that no matter what was going on at work they could always rely on each other to help when they were in need and that was what mattered most.   
“I can’t believe we’re home.” JJ sighed, leaning back on the couch. “It seems like such a long time since that case but at the same time it feels like only yesterday it all started.”  
The rest of them murmured in agreement. The last 3 weeks had felt like 3 months but had also gone in the blink of an eye. It was such a strange feeling for all of them.  
“Well I for one am eternally grateful to have you back here, life at Quantico hasn’t been the same without you and Emily and although you guys aren’t back at work yet having you back in the state makes me happy, our little family is whole again.” Garcia smiled, moving over to hug JJ. Garcia always took it the hardest when they were split up, for a case or other reasons and 3 weeks without Emily and JJ just down the road from the base had pushed the normally bubbly blonde to her limits.   
“We missed you as well Pen.” JJ replied, hugging her close. Garcia had been the one that had been free to be at the hospital with them while the rest of the team had been finishing off the case, hunting down and arresting Mr Greengrass and filing all the paperwork and the other things they had needed to do to close the case.   
“I get what you mean JJ but at the same time it’s scientifically impossible for time to move any faster or slower than the rate it currently moves at.” Reid rattled off in the way he did, making JJ smile despite the exhaustion setting in.  
“Seriously Reid?” Morgan scoffed, shaking his head. “We’re talking about us all being back in the same place after almost a month apart and all you can do is correct JJ’s choice of description?”  
Reid’s cheeks instantly turned a dark red and Andy chuckled and ruffled his hair. Everyone knew that Reid often sprouted random facts or said things like that when he was either half asleep as he currently was, or when he was in a situation that made him uncomfortable for whatever reason. None of them minded of course, it was one of Reid’s adorable quirks that made them rather fond of him but at times they couldn’t resist teasing him about it.  
“Leave the boy wonder alone Morgan.” Garcia scolded him playfully. “He can’t help it, even less when he’s half asleep.” She glanced at Andy before continuing. “Maybe you guys should head up to bed?”  
“At this point I think we should all head up to bed, it’s been a long day and we still have a long road ahead of us.” Rossi suggested to the groans of the others.  
“But Mooooooooooom.” Morgan whined, “I don’t wanna go to bed.” The others grinned at him as Rossi glared, shaking his head.  
“And that is precisely why you need to Derek.” He replied, using his best ‘Mom’ voice. “You get whiney when you need sleep, all of you kids do. And trust me when I say it’s not a nice thing to have to listen to.”  
“You lot are worse than Jack half the time.” Hotch added. “Even he gives up whining after 10 minutes most of the time now.”   
The younger agents all shifted guiltily and refused to make eye contact with either of the older men. Each of them were aware just how bad they could be when they’d been on a long case and hadn’t had much chance to sleep so had lived off caffeine and not much else then when it wore off they all crashed and started to snipe at each other.  
“Uh huh you look guilty all of you, you know what we’re talking about so no more arguing about it, all of you head up to bed and we’ll start fresh in the morning, like I said we have a long road ahead of us.” Rossi said firmly, leaving no room for any of them to disagree with him.  
Deciding it wasn’t worth trying to argue with him each of the younger agents bid each other and the elder three goodnight and headed up to the bedrooms Emily and JJ had indicated they’d set up for everyone. As JJ made her way up to bed she paused to check on Fia who was still happily sleeping in her cot, her pacifier in her mouth and her teddy from Garcia firmly tucked under her arm. JJ walked in slowly and switched the monitor on as well as switching the night light off and slipping back out of her room and continuing down the hallway to Emily’s bedroom. She walked in and pushed the door almost closed before going into the ensuite to get undressed and crawling into bed next to her girlfriend, Emily felt her warmth and instantly rolled over to snuggle into her and JJ smiled, kissed the top of her head and almost instantly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Hello my lovely readers!!
> 
> As some of you may be aware of NaNoWriMo is coming up in a few weeks and I've chosen to continue with this work for my project so I'm going to take a break from writing this until NaNo starts. Sorry if that disappoints anyone but I promise it'll be worth the wait!
> 
> I love you all and as always I love to read your comments and stuff.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The next morning every member of the team was up bright and early, even Emily and JJ who still had time left on their ‘holiday’ to help Fia settle in. Jack had gotten up at the same time as Fia and Emily had taken both of them down to the den and put the television on for them to watch some cartoons while they waited for everyone else to wake up. Emily had left them there while she went into the kitchen to make Fia a bottle and Jack had asked for a glass of orange juice and of course Emily herself had a large mug of coffee. The three of them settled down and had Spongebob on.  
Hotch was the next of the adults to surface, having been used to waking up with Jack he’d gotten concerned when he hadn’t heard him yet. When he found his son curled up in Emily’s side, drinking orange juice he smiled and nodded at Emily who had sensed his presence. The kids hadn’t even noticed him come in and Hotch took that as a chance to get himself a mug of coffee in peace once Emily had pointed to her own mug and nodded in the direction of the kitchen.   
Next to wake up was JJ, who had rolled over with the intention to snuggle into Emily but found her side of the bed empty. When JJ realized that Emily wasn’t still in the bed next to her, nor was she in the en-suite, JJ started to panic a little, it wasn’t until she heard the sounds of Spongebob and giggles floating over the baby monitor they had set up in the den that she calmed down and figured that one of the kids had woken up and possibly woken the other up. Chances are it was Jack that had woken first and gone to check on Fia if he’d heard her babbling away to herself in her crib and then Emily had woken up and taken them down to the den to let the adults sleep in a little longer.   
JJ walked into the kitchen to find Hotch sat there nursing a mug of coffee, he greeted her by waving a hand towards the coffee machine that was still steaming with hot coffee and JJ simply nodded and made herself a mug. It was common knowledge that Hotch rarely spoke before his first cup of coffee in the morning, in fact most of the team was like that, each of them very rarely had the ability to string sentences together before coffee first thing in the morning and as it was, when they were working, and sometimes when they weren’t but were meeting up for one reason or another, first one into the office made a large pot of coffee on for everyone and the last person in usually came baring Starbucks just to ensure everyone had their individual caffeine needs satisfied before any serious work or discussion took place.  
Once JJ had made her mug of coffee and refilled Hotch’s mug, she made her way into the den and smiled at the sight. Emily was sat in the middle of the couch, Jack on right, curled up under one of the blankets he’d apparently dragged down from the bedroom, and Fia on her left, curled up with her head in Emily’s lap and her bottle in her mouth. It looked to JJ like Fia was still half asleep and Emily had probably made her up a bottle of milk in the hopes that Fia would drift back to sleep for a while. Spongebob was for Jack’s benefit as it was one of his favourite cartoons and he was happily watching it.  
“Good morning beautiful.” JJ smiled as she walked to the couch. “Did you sleep ok?”  
Emily looked up and smiled back at her, nodding slowly in response before pointing down to Fia who had indeed fallen back to sleep, her bottle hanging out of her mouth and JJ gently took it from her so she didn’t drop it, JJ spotted one of her paci’s on the side and grabbed it, replacing the bottle with it so Fia didn’t wake up. JJ scooped Jack up and sat on the couch next to Emily, she sat Jack in her lap and he instantly cuddled into her, kissing her cheek before settling back down and refocusing on Spongebob, totally uninterested in the world around him beyond the cartoon and his glass of juice.  
None of the adults were actually aware of what time it was, the only thing they’d been aware of was the fact that their children were awake so they had to be as well, it was only now Fia had gone back to sleep and Jack seemed to be on the verge of it that Emily looked at the time to discover it was only 6am. She groaned, fully aware that they had been awake for at least one hour already if not more and it suddenly made sense why Fia had fallen back to sleep, they had set up a routine for her where if she woke up before 7am, one of them would get up and make her a bottle before settling her back down in bed and leaving her to go back to sleep. The only reason things had changed was because Jack was here and Emily hadn’t thought to look at the time before agreeing that they could get up and watch cartoons.  
“Em baby why is Fia out of bed before 7?” JJ whispered, not wanting to disturb her daughter.   
“I didn’t think to look at the time before I said we could come down and watch cartoons.” Emily replied in a whisper as well, suddenly feeling a little guilty for ignoring the routine they’d worked hard to set in place to help Fia settle down.  
JJ just chuckled and shook her head a little. “I figured as much, it’s why I try and get up with her in the mornings if it’s too early for her to be up.” In truth JJ wasn’t mad with her girlfriend, it was so like Emily to not think of checking the time, it was common knowledge that Emily was putty in their daughters hands and Fia took advantage of it sometimes.

“Well that and Jack asked me so nicely for a glass of juice and Spongebob I couldn’t really say ‘no’ could I?” Emily grinned as JJ ruffled Jack’s hair, the young boy already on the verge of falling back asleep. “Are we the only ones awake?” She asked as a afterthought, thinking that if most of them were awake she’d make a start on breakfast for everyone.  
“Hotch is awake, well I say awake, he’s sat in the kitchen drinking his second mug of coffee and not talking yet.” JJ replied, chuckling a little and shaking her head. “I think everyone else is still asleep.” She glanced at the clock before continuing. “Give it like a hour or so and everyone else will start waking up probably.”   
Emily nodded, in that case she’d give it another half hour or so before she started on breakfast. She sat quietly thinking about what she could make as there was eleven of them well 10 and a half as chances are Fia would just pick of either her or JJ’s plate and that was fine with both of them. She figured that something she could stagger such as oatmeal and pancakes would work best for such a large number of people, she could make a large pot of oatmeal for everyone and pre-make enough pancake batter then she could just cook them as people asked for them. Running through the ingredients she’d need for both choices of food she realized that while she definitely had enough for her, JJ and maybe the kids, as now she thought about it Jack wasn’t likely to eat much either, she didn’t have enough to feed the masses and she’d have to go to the store to top things up.  
“I’m going to run to the store to get supplies for breakfast for everyone.” Emily said softly. “I’m gonna do oatmeal and pancakes, I guess I should probably pick up some juice as well?”   
“That may well be a good idea, I’m not sure how much we have left.” JJ replied. “I’d say get both orange and apple juice as I think Hotch, Jack and Jessica have orange, Fia definitely prefers apple and I don’t think we have any in at the moment and I think Pen is on team apple as well.”   
“You got it babe, anything else you can think of while I’m out?” Emily asked, just wanting to double check they didn’t need anything in general.  
“Maybe best to just stick with breakfast foods for now, we can go to the store for us later on or tomorrow, I think Rossi said something about doing his famous Italian family feast for us all tonight.” JJ said, thinking for a moment first.   
“Oh thank God for that! Rossi to the rescue!” Emily giggled. “Honestly, I can cope with doing breakfast for everyone but trying to feed that army dinner as well? Nooooo thank you.”  
Both women chuckled at that. It was true that when they all got together for a meal, it was often compared to either trying to feed a small army or a football team, so they tried to make it fair on everyone by alternating roles between hosts and cooks. Or by inviting everyone to Emily or Rossi's and suggesting a potluck meal.  
JJ nodded and shifted Jack a little so she could gently move the still sleeping Fia out of Emily’s lap and into her own to allow Emily to get up. Jack happily resettled himself next to JJ, still curled up under his blanket and thankfully Fia didn’t stir at all. Emily lent down to kiss JJ softly before grabbing her keys, nodding to Hotch as she walked passed the kitchen and heading out of the door.  
Having seen Emily and half heard the conversation between the women, Hotch decided that was likely to be safer to vacate the kitchen before Emily returned and wanted the kitchen to cook.  
“DADDY!” Jack grinned, jumping up and running over to Hotch walked into the den. He launched himself into his Daddy’s arms and hugged him tightly.  
“Hey buddy, did you sleep ok?” Hotch asked, holding onto him and swinging him round before placing him back on the floor with a kiss to his cheek.   
JJ winced a little as Jack had been a little loud and she was worried that the noise would wake Fia up, thankfully though she was still fast asleep and it looked as though it wasn’t going to change any time soon. JJ was fine with that though as she knew that Em would gladly bring her breakfast into the den for her to eat if she couldn’t escape Fia’s clutches to join them in the kitchen.   
“Yeah Daddy, Aunty Em gave me juice and we watched Spongebob!” Jack replied, still seemingly full of energy and talking rather loudly.  
“That’s good buddy but it looks like Fia has gone back to sleep so can we simmer down a little please?” Hotch said, firmly but not loudly and Jack nodded, putting a finger to his lips and looking at JJ and Fia.  
“Sorry Aunty JJ.” He whispered, moving perhaps a little too close to Fia’s head to make sure he hadn’t woken her up.   
“It’s ok Jack.” She whispered back, subtly but firmly moving him away from Fia’s head. It wasn’t his fault, he was young and excitable so sometimes forgot that Fia needed to be handled gently and that he couldn’t be as boisterous with her as he was with his friends sometimes.  
Hotch smiled at them and sat down on the end of the couch, Jack clambered into his lap and cuddled into him, getting the message that he was starting to get a little too rough with Fia and he needed to step away and calm down a little. That was something Hotch had made sure he tort him, even with friends his own age, that if he was getting too excited and boisterous he had to take a step back and calm down before he could go and join in again so make sure nobody got hurt. Hotch was proud of him for not forgetting that and not having being needed to be told to calm down.  
“Good morning my loves.” Garcia’s voice floated into the room just before she appeared, bubbly as ever. She was still the only one of the team that seemed to be able to be bubbly and chatty before she had any form of caffeine in her system in the mornings, leaving the rest of them wondering just how she did it and often tempted to ask her what she was on and could they please have a bucket of the stuff?  
“Morning Pen.” JJ said, before hastily pointing to Fia and indicating that she was asleep. “Did you and Morgan sleep ok?”  
Garcia nodded and smiled, understanding what JJ was getting at and toning down the loudness to make sure she didn’t wake the sleeping toddler up either. She settled herself on the floor at JJ’s feet, her back against the couch for comfort as she turned her attention to the television that still had Spongebob on. It was one of the earlier episodes as far as she could tell, though it had been a while since she’d sat and watched it, it was one of her many guilty pleasures and one of the reasons she loved babysitting Jack if Jessica wasn’t around to look him as it meant she got to watch it for hours on end and it kept them both happy.  
Jack decided that he was going to move from his Daddy’s lap to sit with Garcia and cuddle into her, it was something he enjoyed doing. He loved spending time with everyone in the team as they all spoilt him in their own way and of course he’d grown up with most of them anyway so to him they were just like family and he loved his family and his cuddles. Garcia smiled and instantly pulled Jack into her lap, she was always happy when he chose her to cuddle with as for some reason she couldn’t put into words she always felt privileged when she was the chosen person. She had a feeling that Fia was going to end up just like Jack once she’d come out of her shell and would be perfectly happy going to any of them, just so long as she was getting cuddles and love.  
“Well now this is a beautiful picture.” Rossi chimed in as he joined the assembled group in the den. “Though somehow it seems wrong.” He added, musing at why he felt that.  
“Emily’s gone to the store for breakfast supplies and everyone else is asleep.” Hotch said, not looking up at Rossi as he squeezed himself in between JJ and Hotch on the couch.   
“That would explain it then.” Rossi chuckled. “I guess I’m so used to seeing JJ wherever Emily is and vice versa that seeing one of them individually is just odd nowadays, more so since Fia joined the family.” JJ rolled her eyes and swatted playfully at Rossi, who simply caught hold of her hand and gave her a warning look.  
“She should be back soon though, then it’s oatmeal, pancakes and juice for eleven people when she’s got it all sorted and cooked.” JJ replied as Fia started to stir in her arms. “Ah um I think someone needs a diaper change.” She added as a sudden whiff of poop hit her nostrils. “I’ll be back in a minute.”  
JJ returned a few minutes later with Fia, having changed her diaper and gotten her dressed in one of her favourite dresses, pink with ducks on it, her attempts to brush Fia’s hair had failed on a rather epical scale so it was still stuck up all over the place. Personally JJ thought she looked kind of cute like that but it was likely that Emily wouldn’t agree with her and Fia obviously didn’t if the scowl on her face was anything to go by.   
Her scowl disappeared when she spotted Rossi sat on the couch and she instantly started fussing to go to him. JJ gladly handed her over and Rossi was only too happy to have cuddles with the toddler, not that he’d admit it but he had fallen for her cuteness and was looking forward to having another child to casually spoil as he didn’t have any children or Grandchildren of his own to do that with.  
With Fia now happily curled up in Rossi’s lap it left JJ free to go and make everyone a fresh mug of coffee each and get Jack another glass of juice, although Hotch had told him that it was his last one until they had breakfast. The adults were glad for coffee and all sat drinking it happily, the group falling into silence as they all seemed to sit and watch Spongebob happily, or it may have simply been that none of them could be bothered to find the remote to change the channel and as it was doing the job of keeping Jack and Fia occupied they weren’t going to complain about it.  
A few minutes later and a shout of ‘I’m home’ rang out through the house from Emily. JJ chuckled and got up to help her bring the groceries in and make a start on breakfast for everyone while the others stayed with Jack and Fia in the den. The theory was that the smell of breakfast cooking, the bacon for the pancakes in particular, would be sufficient enough to wake everyone else up and sure enough less than 20 minutes later the nine adults, Jack and Fia were all congregated in the kitchen, Fia strapped into her high chair and Jack sat on a booster seat in the chair next to her.  
The general chatter in the kitchen while everyone tucked into their first bowl of oatmeal was a little louder and more animated then the team was used to but they did have two extra adults in the form of Andy and Jessica plus Jack and Fia who both seemed to be adding to the noise without saying much of anything, just babbling at each other. It was nice though, Emily found the noise somewhat comforting and it served as a reminder that they most definitely weren’t alone in the challenge ahead and there was no way she couldn’t describe raising Fia as anything else.  
Having said that of course, there was no way she’d change her current situation, though she may not be saying that in a few months time when they’ve dealt with many sleepless nights, countless Doctors appointments and working at the BAU so being away from home at times, but for now she was happy to do it. In truth, after she’d given up her baby at 16 she never thought she’d have a chance to be a Mom again, not because she hadn’t wanted to be a Mom she just wasn’t sure she’d ever be emotionally ready to be a mother as she always felt it wouldn’t be fair on her child that she’d been forced to give up by her own mother who said she was far too young to have a baby as she was still only a child herself. She found that Fia had awoken the Mothering instinct within her, something she had previously been convinced had died when she handed her baby over to the social workers.  
“Mommy!” Emily was snapped from her thoughts by Fia calling to her, she turned and smiled at her daughter.  
“Yes baby are you ok?” She asked, walking over to her so that Fia didn’t have to shout.   
“Milk pees.” Fia asked, thrusting her bottle into Emily’s chest, probably a little harder then she had intended to but that was ok. “An kissey!” She demanded after, she was a little upset that her Mommy hadn’t been there when she’d woken up for the second time. Emily chuckled and kissed her cheek, taking the bottle from her and going to fill it up with milk for her.  
“There you go monkey, one refilled bottle of milk for you.” Emily said as she handed Fia the bottle. “Do you want some pancakes as well?” She asked, noticing that she had barely touched her oatmeal. Fia nodded and stuck her bottle in her mouth, deciding that her Mommy’s question didn’t need a verbal response.  
“Just in case the word hasn’t got around yet, you are all invited to my house for my Italian family feast tonight.” Rossi announced to cheers from everyone else around the kitchen. “Jessica, is there anything you don’t or can’t eat? Andy same question?” He added and both of them shook their heads.  
“I’ll eat almost anything.” Andy said with a grin, and Reid went a dark shade of scarlet as he and the other adults got the hidden meaning in Andy’s words.   
“I don’t do lots of spice but otherwise I’m the same.” Jessica added and Rossi nodded.   
“Well it’s nice to have people in the family that are easy to feed.” Rossi said, shooting a look at Garcia who simply shrugged, she could be fussy and she was already vegetarian as it was so Rossi always had problems feeding her. “Mezze platters will be out at 7pm.” He announced. “Jack and Fia will be served at 5pm so they can keep to their 7pm bedtimes, I will have the spare room set up for them to sleep in if you can bring a travel cot for Fia Em?”   
“Of course we can, thanks Rossi.” Emily replied, grateful that Rossi understood the need for Fia especially to stick to her routine but obviously thinking of Jack as well. “We can give her a bath as well can’t we?” She was sure he wouldn’t mind but of course she wasn’t going to just assume that they could and wanted to make sure first, otherwise they’d simply bathe Fia before they went over to Rossi’s and she’d just be in her PJ’s and ready for bed when they got there.  
“Of course you can, I don’t have any bubbles or anything as I tend to shower.” He said, it wasn’t a problem for them to use his bath for Fia he just tended not to, he had a shower in his en-suite and used that instead most nights and mornings as he rarely had the time spare to have a bath and enjoy it.  
“That’s ok, we can bring her overnight bag with us, it has bubbles and some bath toys and things in it so we got it covered.” JJ said, as Emily was now busy making some more pancakes. “Do you want us to bring anything else?” Rossi shook his head in response and stood up to help Emily make the pancakes as well as put a fresh pot of coffee on for everyone.  
“Jack that’s enough!” Hotch’s firm voice suddenly silenced all the chatter. “If you’ve had enough oatmeal that’s fine but we don’t play with our food and we most definitely do NOT start smearing it over other people.” Jack was now looking incredibly guilty and pulled his hands away from Fia who was already covered in what was left of Jack’s bowl of oatmeal. It was all in her hair, down her dress and of course spread right across her face and she was sat there grinning and giggling away to herself not a care in the world.   
Emily spun round at the mention of Jack smearing oatmeal on people and groaned a little, this meant they’d have to put Fia in the bath before they went out anyway and that wasn’t going to be easy. She looked at JJ who had a similar look on her face as she also realized that Fia was now likely to end up being bathed twice in one day.   
“Jack I’d like you to apologize to Aunty Emily and Aunty JJ, now please.” Hotch said, looking at Jack who nodded, not meeting his Daddy’s gaze.  
“I’m sorry, I’m done with my oatmeal now.” He said softly, also not able to look at either Emily or JJ as he did so.  
“Thank you for saying sorry buddy.” Emily said, she guessed they’d have to get used to Fia being covered in food soon enough as they wanted to encourage her to start feeding herself soon. “Can you bring your bowl over here and put it in the dishwasher for me please?” Jack nodded in response and once Hotch had undone the straps of his booster seat he jumped down and did as he was asked.  
“Ok that’s a good job buddy but now you are going in time out.” Hotch added, Jack nodded and he looked up at his Dad. “Go and sit in the corner by the front door please, I’ll come and get you in five minutes.” Jack nodded again and went to sit where he’d been told. Emily and JJ had admit they were rather impressed with how well Jack simply took his punishment without any arguments.  
“How did you get him to do that without him kicking off?” JJ asked, sticking her head round the kitchen door to find Jack sat in the corner.   
Hotch chuckled and pointed at Jessica. “I have his Aunt to thank for that, he was a nightmare before then he spent a week with Jessica and came back a different child.”   
It was Jessica’s turn to chuckle as she shook her head slightly. “Oh it was easy, once I found out what his favourite TV shows and foods were stopping him kicking off when he was told to go into time out was a piece of cake, I simply gave him the choice between sitting in timeout for his five minutes or he’d lose either Spongebob or dessert and he kicked off a few times just to test the waters and see how far he could push me but after three days of being sent to bed without either Spongebob or dessert he got the message.”   
“Well then, we’ll have to remember that one won’t we darling?” JJ said, looking at Emily who nodded.  
“Yeah, maybe not use it at the moment as she’s not really not going into timeouts just yet but definitely something to bear in mind for the future.” Emily agreed, “Now though I think it’s time to get out little monkey in the bath so we can get her cleaned up.”  
JJ nodded and scooped Fia out of her high chair, thankfully they didn’t think that Fia understood just what was going on so she seemed happy enough to go with JJ as she took her up to the bathroom. The screaming and crying started almost the second the water started to run to fill the bath up. Emily sighed and turned the making of pancakes over to Rossi while she said she was going up to help JJ bath her. Hotch checked his watch and saw that Jack’s five minutes was up so he went to get his son.  
“Okay Jack, thank you for staying in timeout. Can you tell me why I put you here?” He asked, crouching down so that he was at eye level with him.  
“Cuz I put Oatmeal all over Fia and made her dirty?” Jack replied, slightly unsure if that was the reason or if there was another one.   
“Well yes but tell me something, do you hear that screaming and crying?” He asked, his voice calm but firm. Jack nodded silently and looked at his Daddy curiously. “Well that’s because bath time is very stressful for Fia, do you remember when you were the same age as her and you didn’t like being in the bath?” Another nod from Jack and Hotch carried on. “Well that’s the same for Fia now so really smearing oatmeal on her wasn’t a very nice thing to do was it?”  
Tears filled Jack’s eyes as he shook his head, the full consequences of what he’d done hit him. “I’m sorry Daddy.” He said, as he started to cry feeling bad about the whole situation.  
“Thank you for saying sorry buddy but it’s not me you need to say sorry to is it?” Hotch said and Jack shook his head again. “Also it’s not totally your fault, you weren’t aware that Fia gets stressed out when it comes to bath time but there is a lot about Fia and her past that none of us know yet so we just have bare that mind ok buddy?” Jack nodded slowly and wiped his eyes before holding his arms out towards Hotch for a hug. Hotch pulled him into a hug and held him for a moment, he kissed his son’s cheek and let him go. “Can you go up and say sorry to Fia now please.” It wasn’t a request it was a statement and Jack knew it.  
Jack walked slowly up to the bathroom and knocked softly on the door, Emily opened it and saw him stood there, shifting slightly on his feet. She smiled softly at him and moved to one side, pulling the door open a little more to let him come inside. He stepped in and paused by the door, not wanting to get too close for fear of upset Fia again but Emily gently encouraged him forward and he walked to edge of the bath, his head down looking at his feet.  
“It’s ok Jack, Fia has calmed down now so you can talk to her and look at her if you like.” JJ said softly, noticing how nervous he was and Jack nodded slowly.  
“Fia? I’m sorry I put oatmeal all over you and made you need a extra bath.” He mumbled a little, still not being able to bring himself to look at her properly. “Daddy said that bath time makes you very upset like it did when I was little and didn’t like bath time and that it wasn’t a nice thing to do to you and I’m very very sorry.”  
By now Fia was looking curiously at Jack, trying to figure out what he was so upset about. She looked at JJ who smiled at her and nodded at Jack. Fia was still a little confused but she knew that he wanted her to say that everything was ok and that they were still friends.  
“It otay Jack, we till fwends.” She said, hoping to encourage him to look at her.  
Jack bit his lip as he slowly looked up, still not looking at Fia but looking up at Emily who smiled down at him.  
“I’m proud of you buddy, it takes a lot to say sorry to someone when we’ve done something wrong, isn’t that right JJ?” Emily said, giving JJ a look that plainly said that now was not the time to disagree with her.  
“Yes it is, it’s very hard to do that so I’m very proud of you as well but I’m also proud of Fia because she said it was ok and that you were still friends even though you upset her.” JJ said, holding her arms out to Jack to shuffled into them.   
Fia grinned, still not fully understanding what was going on but realizing that Jack was now in splashing range and she did just that, giggling as the water hit his face and top, it also hit her Momma but her Momma was already wet from her splashing so that was ok. Jack pouted a little from JJ’s arms but seeing Fia was happy again he smiled and splashed her back gently, giggling as well.   
“Woah ok, if we’re going to have a splash fight Jack you need to get undressed and in the tub as well.” Emily said, intervening before Jack’s clothes got soaked, Jack nodded and quickly pulled his pajamas off, JJ lifted him up and sat him in the bath opposite Fia who giggled happily and splashed him some more.   
The ensuing water fight went on for about 10 minutes before both children were soaking wet and in need of drying off before they got too cold as the bath water had started to go cold as well. Emily grabbed them both a towel each and picked Jack up out of the bath while JJ got Fia. Emily took Jack back into the room where he’d slept the night before to help him dry off and get dressed. JJ stayed in the bathroom with Fia to get her dried off and into a clean diaper before carrying her into her nursery to find her a clean outfit to put on.   
“Blue lions or purple kittens?” JJ asked, holding up the two dresses for Fia to look at. She lay there thinking for a moment trying to decide between them before squealing a little.   
“Kitties!” She said, pointing to the purple dress. JJ smiled and put the blue dress back in her wardrobe before walking over and putting the dress on her.   
“There we go, all clean!” JJ said in a sing song voice that made Fia giggle even more. “Now are you going to let me brush your hair this time?”

Fia thought for a moment and nodded slowly, she supposed that maybe it was time to let her Momma brush her hair, up until this point it had only been her Mommy that she’d trust enough to brush her hair, she was still very nervous about anyone touching her hair or just her head in general but so far her Momma had never hurt her and she was starting to trust her. JJ helped her slowly sit up and supported her a little by sitting Fia in her lap, she picked up the brush and started to slowly brush the tangles out of her hair. Fia winced a little as the brush pulled a little in her hair but she sat still for once and didn’t fuss too much. JJ hummed as she continued to brush her daughter’s hair, she put her hair up in simple bunches and kissed the top of Fia’s hair before standing up and picking her up, setting her on her hip. Fia nuzzled into her neck sucking her thumb as they went to check on Emily’s progress with Jack.  
Jack was still only in his boxers when JJ pushed the door open to check on them, he was giggling away while Emily was sat on the floor looking at him as he ran around her.   
“Jack! Not cool buddy.” JJ said, putting Fia down and taking his clothes from Emily. “Do you want to go back in time out already?”  
At that Jack instantly stopped running around and gasped. He shook his head and went over to JJ who finished getting him dressed within minutes. Emily glared at her and shook her head.  
JJ shrugged and chuckled at the look on Emily’s face, she knew that Emily wasn’t mad at her it was more jealously that somehow JJ was better at getting kids to do what she wanted them to do.   
“You know I hate you sometimes right?” Emily said, sighing. “I don’t know how you manage to do it so easily.”  
“Well what can I say? I just have a way with children.” JJ replied, swinging Fia up onto her hip as the toddler was starting to fuss.   
“That much is obvious.” A slight sulky tone was evident in Emily’s voice as Jack threw himself into her lap, knocking the wind out of her a little. “Ooft, oh hey buddy.” She said, ruffling his hair and tickling him a little to make him laugh. “You are a little terror you are, you know that right?” She teased him.  
“Me?” He replied, looking up at her with a face of pure innocence. “I’m a good boy!” He insisted.  
“Of course you are baby Aunty Em was just teasing you.” JJ said, shooting a look at Emily who hugged Jack close to her.  
“I’m sorry Jack, Aunty JJ is right I was only messing with you, you are a very good boy I was just a little miffed that you didn’t want to get dressed for me but was happy to get dressed for your Aunty JJ.” Emily explained, feeling bad that she’d obviously confused and upset him by teasing him.  
“Oh ok.” Jack said, perking up a little. “Sorry I was playing up and being a little bit naughty.”   
“Well that’s ok, things have been a little different over the last few days huh?” Emily replied, soothing him and running her hand in his hair. “It’s bound to be a little confusing and if things are different sometimes we get a little hyper and excited when we are having a good time right? And then we just get carried away and forget how to be good huh?”   
Jack considered what Emily was saying and took a moment to think about it and process it before nodding. “I guess so.” He said after a few moments.   
Seeing Jack taking her Mommy’s attention away from her made Fia a little jealous as she wasn’t used to having to share her with anyone apart from her Momma, she scowled and started to whimper and reach for her Mommy. JJ shifted her a little and attempted to calm her down, not understanding why she was suddenly fussing so much, Fia was normally happy to share Emily with others but today it seemed to be different.   
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommyyyyyyy!” Fia whined, still trying to get at Emily. Emily looked up at her equally as confused as JJ.  
“I’m right here baby, what’s wrong?” She asked, standing up with Jack on her hip.   
“Mommy.” She said again, starting to whimper as she reached out for her Mommy.   
Emily looked at between JJ, Jack and Fia and it dawned on her why Fia was starting to get upset. “Oh baby it’s ok, come here.” She said, putting Jack down and taking Fia from JJ. Fia instantly clung to her and buried her face in Emily’s neck.  
“It’s ok Fia, I’m here, I’ve got you.” Emily cooed, rubbing her back and bouncing her a little to try and settle her as they’d found that it was a good way to calm her down when she got upset.  
“Mommy.” Fia whimpered into Emily’s neck, still clinging to her with all her strength.   
“Aunty JJ why is Fia upset?” Jack asked, just as confused as the adults when it came to her bizarre change of emotions.   
“Well honestly honey I’m not sure why Fia suddenly got upset, but I think she just needs some time with her Mommy.” JJ replied, crouching down to Jack’s level. “Tell you what, shall we go and find your Daddy and ask him if we can go outside for a kickaround?”   
JJ had grown up playing soccer at school and although she didn’t get a chance to play very often anymore she still loved the times she did get to and having Jack around was the perfect excuse for her to go outside and kick a soccer ball around. She hoped that she’d get the chance to teach Fia how to play soccer at some point but at the moment it seemed that soccer was the last thing on Fia’s mind, she loved her Princesses and her dresses and although that was fine by JJ she sometimes secretly wished that she had a son at times to play soccer with. Jack grinned up at her and nodded eagerly. He may not be very good at playing soccer but he loved being able to spend some one on one time with JJ and kicking a soccer ball around with her was always fun for him and he loved it even more when he got the praise from her for doing his best.  
“I think I’m gonna just sit in the nursery with Fia for abit honey, I’m gonna put some relaxing music on and read her some books.” Emily said, still bouncing Fia on her hip to keep her calm. “I’ll come down and either watch or join in later ok?”  
“Of course darling, that sounds like a brilliant idea to me.” JJ replied, kissing Emily softly and placing a kiss to the top of Fia’s head. “We’ll most likely be out in the yard, there’s still that old goal in the shed right?”   
“Old goal? Baby I made sure Garcia picked you up a brand new one, I know how much you love having a kick about and when Jack comes to visit you guys can’t play properly with that old one that was full of holes.” Emily replied, smirking at the look on JJ’s face as it lit up. “Yeah I love you as well, now take our little buddy down and get him outside for a bit, maybe you can help him burn off some extra energy before we sit down for lunch and a nap?”  
Both Jack and JJ were now itching to get outside and play with the brand new goal. They raced each other down the stairs and Jack was court at the bottom by Hotch who told him that he could go outside but he had to put hit coat and hat on as it was starting to get the Autumn chill in the air. Jack pouted a little but nodded when JJ hit the bottom of the stair case with his coat and hat in hand. She bundled him up and they headed out, followed by Hotch, Morgan, Andy and Reid. Garcia, Rossi and Jessica all decided that it was a little too chilly for them to be outside but they sat by the French windows and watched as the others split themselves into two teams of three after Morgan and Andy had found not one but two new goals and set them up at either end of the garden. They decided that it was going to be Jack, Hotch and Morgan verses JJ, Andy and Reid. Reid instantly volunteered to stand in the goal, he tried but he had never been athletically inclined so in reality being in goal was the safest place for him. Hotch was in goal for Jack’s team and they kicked off.   
Half an hour later Fia was fast asleep once more so Emily put her down in her crib and turned the baby monitor on before slipping out of the door and heading down to join everyone else. As she walked into the den, loud cheers rang out as Jack had scored a goal. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Garcia who told her that it was now 3-2 to Jack’s team but she was secretly convinced that JJ was letting Jack win and just doing everything she could to wear him out a little. Emily chuckled and nodded, it was typical of JJ to let Jack beat her, even though Soccer was definitely her favourite sport to play but in the end Jack’s happiness was more important to her than winning. She loved watching JJ spending time with Jack, looking after him, or any child for that matter, came so naturally to her that it was no wonder to Emily that she was so willing to take Fia on the way she had. It hadn’t even been a subject that they had needed to discuss in depth it was just something JJ had said she wanted to do and Emily had needed that openness and willingness to stand by her.

Within the next hour or so the game started to wind down as everyone playing had started to slow down. Jack had shed his hat and coat as all the running around had warmed him up enough to not need either anymore. When she’d noticed the game starting to slow down and everyone had started to get worn out, Garcia had snuck out to do a starbucks run for everyone taking Jessica with her so she had the extra hands to carry it all, she had made sure that she’d got everyone’s favourite drinks and had even thought as far ahead as to get Jack a hot chocolate with marshmallows on the side for him to put in the top.   
By the time she’d got back the game was well and truly over, everyone had settled back in the den and Emily had lit the fire to warm them all up quicker. Everyone was glad for the starbucks coffees and Jack had even managed to stay awake long enough to drink his hot chocolate, the marshmallows were simply quickly dunked and eaten but he’d been happy enough and that was all that mattered to Garcia in the end.   
It was almost 11am by the time they had all finished their assorted beverages and had warmed up enough to regain the feeling in hands, feet and faces. Rossi stood up and stretched before bidding everyone goodbye and heading back to his house to start preparing for the feast he was laying on for everyone later that evening.   
Fia’s babbling floated over the baby monitor and Emily stood up and went to go and get her. Emily and JJ had made an unspoken agreement that, for today at least, anything to do with Fia was going to be left for Emily to do, not because JJ didn’t want to be involved with Fia for now but it had become obvious that she wanted Emily for whatever reason and they didn’t want to do anything to upset her or cause her more stress so it was just going to be easier for Emily to go to her whenever possible. Emily came back down, carrying Fia about five minutes later, having changed her diaper beforehand and settled down on the couch with Fia in her lap. Fia smiled at all of the adults around and Jack and blew raspberry’s at her Momma who chuckled and kissed her. It was ok, Fia still loved her Momma she just needed and wanted the comfort of her Mommy today but she still wanted to make sure JJ knew she was just as loved by her daughter as Emily was.   
Jack was now back curled up on the couch where he had been that morning, thoroughly worn out from the earlier soccer game he’d played out in the yard. He yawned and his thumb found its way into his mouth and he sucked on it sleepily.   
“I’m thinking early lunch then nap time for Jack?” JJ suggested, noticing his subtle and not so subtle tells that he was ready to sleep for a few hours. She looked at Hotch who nodded in agreement. “Ok Jack, PB and J sandwiches for lunch?” Jack shook his head slowly and didn’t move from his place on the couch, his face had gone pale and he seemed to be more sleepy than normal, even after he and JJ had been out in the garden playing soccer for a few hours.   
JJ nudged Hotch who looked over at Jack with a concerned look on his face. “Hey buddy, are you ok?” He said, moving over and placing a hand on his forehead. “Hmmm you feel a little warm.” He mused.  
“We’ve got a thermometer in the bathroom JJ.” Emily said, cuddling Fia close so she didn’t get unsettled.   
JJ nodded and ran up to get it, when she got back she passed it to Hotch who in turn took Jack’s temperature. The thermometer started beeping and flashing red to indicate Jack had a temperature and Hotch checked it, a frown forming on his face.   
“101” He said, looking down at Jack. “What’s going on buddy?” Jack groaned and shook his head not wanting to speak at all. “Is your tummy hurting?” A nod from Jack, “And your head?” Another nod. “Where abouts is your tummy hurting buddy, can you point for me?”   
Jack pointed to the side of his tummy where his appendix was and Hotch frowned more. He was sure that Jack hadn’t had this kind of pain in his stomach before and it was more concerning to him just how quickly the five year old had seemed to have gotten sick.  
“Let's go and tuck him up in our bed, that way he has space to spread out if he wants and there’s the en-suite so if he needs to throw up there’s a toilet right there.” JJ said, noticing the worried look on her boss’ face.  
Hotch nodded and gently picked Jack up, cradling him in his arms he walked slowly up to Emily and JJ’s bedroom, setting him down on the bed and tucking him in under one of the thinner blankets. Jack was asleep before his Daddy had even tucked him in, a softly pained expression on his face as he automatically curled up in a ball, the pressure relieving some of the pain raging threw his small body. Hotch placed a kiss on Jack’s forehead and followed JJ back out of the room, JJ had grabbed the baby monitor out of Fia’s bedroom and put it on the bedside table next to Jack.   
The two of them went back down to rejoin everyone else in the den, both of them still worried about him even though they knew he was fast asleep in bed.  
“Hopefully once he’s had a nap he’ll feel better.” Garcia said, seeing the worried look Hotch’s face. “If not we can take it in turns to look after him, unless we can figure out what’s going on and then we can get him the best medicine to make him better.”   
Hotch nodded slowly, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that Jack would need to go to hospital to have his appendix removed but for now all he could do was be there for his son when he woke up and listen to the baby monitor for the slightest indication of what may be going on.  
Fia whimpered in her Mommy’s arms, she wasn’t sure what was going on but she could sense that something was wrong with her friend. “Mommy where Jack?” She whimpered, looking around for him.  
“Jack has a poorly tummy baby, he’s upstairs asleep at the moment.” Emily said.  
“Jack ick?” Fia asked, her eyes wide with worry and upset.   
Emily nodded slowly and stroked Fia’s hair. “Yes baby but hopefully a nap will help him feel better, but it means we have to be quiet so we don’t wake him up ok?”   
Fia nodded and put a finger to her lips copying her Mommy, who had done the same, and giggled quietly, thinking her Mommy looked very funny with a finger on her lips.   
“I’m gonna text Rossi and tell him he may be three down for dinner tonight.” Garcia said, digging in her purse looking for her mobile. “Not that it will bother him if there is three less but it may change his plans for what he wants to cook.” She added, pulling her mobile from her bag as she got her hand on it.  
“Thanks Garcia, of course I’m hoping that Jack will be ok after he’s had his nap but I can’t be sure.” Hotch replied, listening intently to the baby monitor for any signs that Jack was waking up.  
“Rossi says he hopes Jack gets better soon and that weather he eats or not all three of you are still welcome to join us regardless.” Garcia said, reading the text she’d gotten back. “And he also said that if needs be he can set up another room for him to sleep in so he doesn’t pass on whatever it is to Fia.”   
Before Hotch had a chance to respond to Garcia so she could respond to the text he heard Jack whimpering and moaning in pain, he nodded at Garcia and bolted up to the bedroom to make sure that Jack was ok. Hotch could be heard over the monitor talking to Jack and trying to soothe him, although none of them were actively listening until JJ heard Hotch request her via the baby monitor and to bring the thermometer up to the bedroom.   
What they heard next worried all of them when Hotch announced that Jack’s temperature was up to 104. Without another thought Garcia had rung 911 and was on the phone to the ambulance crew within three minutes. Emily managed to persuade Fia to go to Morgan for a cuddle and she ran up to the room to let Hotch know that Garcia had rang the ambulance and they’d be here soon. Hotch was visibly stressed out and JJ was currently in the bathroom filling a bowl with some cold water along with a flannel to dab on Jack’s forehead to try and cool him down a little.   
Jack was still whimpering on the bed, he couldn’t lie still as he was in pain, Hotch was sat next to him still trying to calm him down when the ambulance crew turned up and Garcia directed them up to the bedroom.   
“Daddy.” Jack cried as the crew members came into the room and started to take his obs and put a line in his arms for fluids.  
“It’s ok Jack, I’m here, Daddy’s here.” Hotch said, having needed to move out of the way so that the paramedics could do their job. Jack was crying harder now as the pain of the line being put in his hand was added to the pain he already felt in his stomach.  
“I think we’ve got a case of appendicitis.” One of the paramedics said to Hotch while the other paramedic nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to take him in to operate and get his appendix out.” He added, having the sense to take Hotch to one side to tell him without Jack being able to overhear. 

Hotch glanced over at Jack, still crying on the bed. He hated seeing his little boy in that much pain and simply nodded, not sure what to say, he went back over the bed and sat next to Jack, talking in a low, calm voice.  
“Hey buddy, these guys have gotta take you in the ambulance so we can get you some special medicine to make you better ok?” He said, holding Jack’s hand. “I’ll be with you the whole time and Aunt Jessica will come as well, I’m going to ask Garcia to head over to ours and get your teddy and some more clothes ok?”  
Jack whimpered but nodded slowly, he was obviously scared but he was trying to be brave. He definitely wanted his Daddy to stay with him and wanted this special medicine to stop the pain in his stomach as soon as he could get it. Hotch turned and nodded at the paramedics who left the room to get a stretcher to put Jack on as it was going to be easier and less painful than him simply being carried down to the ambulance by his Daddy.  
The paramedics came back a few minutes later with the stretcher and Hotch gently lifted Jack onto it. He cried out loudly at the movement and Hotch felt guilty for a moment before the rational part of his brain kicked in and he remembered that it was for the best. Hotch followed the paramedics down to the ambulance, Jessica and the others had heard what had happened over the baby monitor and were all prepared for Jack to be carried down on the stretcher. Morgan had skillfully and casually distracted Fia so she didn’t see or hear what was going on as they didn’t want her to get stressed out, they had noticed that the two of them had become very close even in the short amount of time they’d met and Morgan was sure that if Fia saw Jack in the state his was currently in it was likely to upset her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Hey guys I'm back!!! 3 days into NaNo and I'm almost at 10,000 words already! 
> 
> Hopefully you guys think this was worth waiting for!


	22. Chapter 22

It had been a few days since Jack had been taken into hospital to have his appendix removed, Hotch was still on leave as well as Emily and JJ but the rest of team had assembled in the conference room early on the cold Wednesday morning ready for the next case.  
“Thankfully my loves, this case is local, Lexington Kentucky is our next destination.” Garcia said, handing out the files.  
Each of them sat and looked over the files as Garcia started to fill them in on the details of the case. It seemed fairly straightforward in that the unsub was being sloppy and wasn’t very good at using forensic countermeasure but unfortunately the local PD was understaffed after a bout of illness so didn’t have the manpower required to to track the killer down and catch whoever it was.   
“Okay so we don’t need to fly as it’ll take us a couple of hours to drive down there, Morgan and Reid I want you guys to head down to the latest crime scene while I head to the local PD to talk to sheriff. there’s only three of us for now until Hotch is happy to leave Jack but he has agreed to drive down when he’s ready to join us.” 

“We may as well only take one car, so me and Reid can drop you at the PD en route to the latest crime scene.” Morgan said, still flicking through the file on the table in front of him.  
“You got it, but I’m driving us over there.” Rossi countered. “I love you like a son but I wouldn’t trust you to drive there and get us there in one piece.”   
Morgan shrugged and nodded, Rossi had a point, he had some serious road rage at times and having to deal with the situation they were currently in, being down half of the team and worrying about their three missing members, his temper was already just below boiling point and if anything went badly or they got stuck in traffic for whatever reason he was likely to blow.   
“I’m just glad you didn’t suggest I drove.” Reid piped up, Morgan and Rossi both looked over at him. Honestly Morgan had almost forgotten he was there, Reid was normally the quiet one in the team, he was the one that sat back and listened and observed at this stage of a case, he’d read and reread the file and spend the flight digesting all of the information available to them and forming working theories that he could then convey to the rest of the team when they’d landed and got set up.  
“Come on kiddo I would never do that to you.” Rossi said. “You hate driving at the best of times and since we aren’t flying you don’t have the time you normally have to digest and get that brilliant mind of yours working.”   
Reid nodded gratefully, he knew that Rossi understood the way his mind worked and processed things in the same way Hotch understood it so he wasn’t concerned that his needs would be overlooked while Hotch was still out.  
“Ok let's go get this S.O.B” Morgan said as he chucked the keys to Rossi who caught them in one swift motion and each of them picked up their go bags and headed for the door. “Hopefully this will be a relatively easy case, whoever this unsub is they don’t seem that bright.” He added, giving Garcia a quick kiss as he walked passed her to the elevator.   
“You got that right.” Rossi agreed, stabbing the button for the basement level parking lot where the BAU issued SUV’s were housed. “At this rate we’ll be back within 48 hours and Hotch won’t need to come out and join us.”  
The three of them settled themselves in the car, Morgan riding shotgun and Reid hunkering down in the back seat. Rossi quickly stopped any arguments over music in the car by putting the radio on and threatening both of them that if they started arguing about it they’d be forced to listen to one of his audio books and neither Morgan nor Reid fancied that so decided it was easier to keep quiet and put up with the local radio station.  
Three hours later Rossi pulled into the parking lot of Lexington PD and got out of the car, he left the engine running and Morgan just hopped out the car and ran round to the driver's side and got in. Garcia had sent him the coordinates of the crime scene and he programmed them into the sat nav and headed off.   
The drive to the crime scene was a relatively short one much to Reid’s annoyance, he hadn’t managed to properly look over all of the information and digest it so he felt severely under prepared. Both men got out of the car and flashed their badges at the local officer that was in place to watch over the crime scene and ensure that nobody disturbed or contaminated it.   
“I’m SSA Agent Derek Morgan, this is Dr Spencer Reid with the FBI.” Morgan said, holding his hand out for the officer to shake.  
“Nice to meet you I’m Charles McKenna.” He replied, taking the offered hand and shaking it. “I sure am glad you guys are here, this case has been keeping a few of us up at night.”  
“Well hopefully with our help we can put this to bed quickly.” Morgan responded and Reid nodded in agreement.  
“Well right this way Agents and I’ll fill you in as much as I can.” McKenna said, lifting the police tape up for them to duck under. “The latest victim is 14 year old Alex Hogarth. He was found just down here with a single stab wound to his chest, liable to be the cause of death, from what we could tell there were no other signs of a struggle or assault.” He read from his notebook, Morgan was both pleased and impressed with his attention to detail.  
“This is the youngest victim, this guy seems to have deviated from his victimology.” Reid said, still holding the case file in his hands and glancing at it. “Before this all the other victims have been in their late 20’s to early 30’s.”   
“All of them were part of the LGBT family as well in one way or another, so why the change?” Morgan mused, just as they thought it would be easy to find this guy because he was sloppy and had left clues all over the place like bread crumbs, a spanner was thrown in the words and the current working theory he had suddenly didn’t fit at all.  
“Could he have been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Whoever it is seems to have shown remorse for this death by the way the body had been laid out.” McKenna chimed in. “Of course I could be totally wrong, you guys are the experts it’s why we called you in.”  
“I like your thinking my man, but I think there may be more to this then simply this kid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, was he reported missing at all?” Morgan said, looking to McKenna for answers.  
“Not for any length of time, his foster Mom called in when he didn’t come from school yesterday but that was the first we heard of it, apparently he had a tendency to run away from home. He was mostly a good kid though, no ties to local gangs, he didn’t skip school or anything like that. He had behavioural problems though, he was abused as a kid by his father, father is currently serving 25 to life for murdering his mother.” McKenna said, shaking his head. “Alex was known to local police for that reason though. He took off for days at a time but would always turn up eventually, normally he’d have gone to his friends houses and just forgot to tell anyone what he was up to.”  
“He sounds like a typical teenager to me.” Morgan said, “I’m gonna call Garcia and see if she can dig up anything else on this kid, just to be sure.”   
“Oracle of Quantico, speak and ye shall be heard.” Garcia’s voice rang out as she answered the phone.   
“Hey Mamma, your on loud speaker so be good.” Morgan warned.  
“Or what you’ll spank me?” Garcia replied without thinking and the look on Morgan’s face said it all as he shook his head.  
“Honestly woman are you trying to get me pulled up on harassment charges?” Morgan quipped. “I need you to look up info on our latest vic Garcia, 14 year old Alex Hogarth, date of birth November 18th.”   
“Alex Hogarth, let me see, ah yes, born to Maxwell and Alicia Hogarth, one older brother, Damion, 16, Mom was killed when Alex was just 3, Dad now lives in Leavenworth, Alex and Damion were split up after they were taken into care…” Garcia said, typing away on her computer.  
“Why were they split up Garcia? Common practice is to keep siblings together even after they’ve been taken into care.” Reid asked.  
“Hold your horses boy wonder I’m just getting there.” Garcia said. “It seems like Damion has special needs that required him to be in specialist care home that couldn’t take Alex as well. Give me just a second… Ah oh boy, poor 5 year old Damion was almost killed in the same attack that left Alicia dead, he has severe brain damage, is in a wheelchair and relies on a feeding tube, it’s not good.”   
“Okay anything else that stands out as abnormal?” Morgan cut in again. “Anything to suggest why Alex ran away so much?”  
“Not unless you count his desperate desire to be with his brother no.” Garcia said, “I’ll keep digging though and I’ll hit you back if I find anything. Talk to you later guys and stay safe out there.” With that Garcia hung up.  
“Well that’s interesting, why did Maxwell attack Damion as well as Alicia and not Alex as well? What was so special about Alex for him to not want him dead, or more over what was so bad about Damion that he did?” Reid mused, this crime scene was getting more and more interesting by the minute. “You know, I don’t think we’re looking at the same killer here, I think this may just be a random murder, not linked to the others at all.”  
“I think you may be right.” Morgan added, thinking out loud. “It definitely makes no sense, he doesn’t fit in with the other victimology at all nor the MO now I look closer at it. All the other victims had major overkill, Alex has one stab wound, it’s not the same.” Just then Morgan’s phone rang and he flipped it open to answer. “Talk to me Mamma.”  
“Bad news guys, Maxwell Hogarth is no longer in prison, the prison truck he was in to transfer him to a more secure location due to overcrowding and bad behaviour, crashed and he escaped out the back of it. Both the guards travelling with him were killed in the accident, he’s been off the grid for over a month.” Garcia said, the worry obvious in her voice. “He could literally be anywhere right now, you may wanna get some officers over to Damion’s care home to make sure he’s safe and maybe put him in protective custody just to be on the safe side.”   
“Send me the coordinates and me and Reid will head over there now, I’ll call Rossi and let him know we’re on a slight detour before heading back to him.” Morgan replied, nodding at Charles.  
“You got it my chocolate God of thunder, Garcia out.” Garcia said as Morgan chuckled at her.   
“Looks like we got ourselves a side case on top of this one, just when I thought we’d be home by the end of the week, we’ve got a fugitive to track down as well.” Morgan sighed, looking at Reid as they headed back to the car.  
“That sounds about right.” Reid agreed, climbing into the front seat of the SUV and instantly winding the window down. “It’s just our luck to catch a totally unrelated case when we’ve got a serial killer to hunt down as well, lets just hope Rossi is having more luck than we are down at the station.”  
Across town at the police station Rossi was indeed on a roll with sorting out the files and boxes of evidence the local police had managed to collect and log already, he had a board set up with a map and was marking off key locations noted within the files.

Rossi sighed as the last key location was marked off on his map, he wished that Reid was here as he was the resident expert in geographical profiling and it would have been easier for him to notice a pattern that would have formed. He glanced down at his watch and figured that they’d be back soon enough, he was just about to go and get himself a mug of ‘coffee’ if they could call it that, from the communal pot when Morgan’s name flashed up on his screen.  
“Are you psychic or can you smell the coffee?” Rossi joked as he answered it. “When are you boys getting here?”  
“Ah well we’ve kinda caught a side case that we need to deal with before we can head back to help you.” Morgan replied. “Turns out the latest vic probably isn’t our guy at all and we gotta track down this kids brother and make sure he’s safe as the father who was doing 25 to life for murdering the boy's mother, escaped from prison approximately a month ago and we believe that he may want to finish what he started 13 years ago.”  
Rossi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment as he listened to what Morgan was saying, he sighed a little, it sounded like he was going to be flying solo on this case for the time being. “Ok, you do what you gotta do but I’d like you back by the end of the day if possible.” He said, understanding the seriousness of the situation they faced. “And stay safe, try not to kill each other.”  
“Understood, can’t make any promises on not killing Reid, it all depends on how well he behaves.” Morgan said, trying to lighten the mood and ignoring the look of mild hurt on Reid’s face. “It’s about a half hour drive each way so how long we’ll be all rests on the chat we gotta have with the kid when we get there.”   
“You got it, check back in in two hours for an update.” Rossi replied, glancing down at his watch to note what time it was now and what time it’d be when he could start being concerned about them.  
“Will do, we’ll fill you in when we get back. Later Rossi.” Morgan said and hung up.  
‘Well.’ Rossi thought to himself as he found the coffee pot and poured himself a mug. ‘I may as well take a break and go and find a proper coffee shop, chances are I won’t get a break in this case without fresh eyes.’ He took a sip of the coffee and made his mind up, yep he was definitely going to find the nearest coffee shop for a decent cup of coffee and hoping that a change of scenery may help clear his head enough to go back in a hour or so and maybe see something he’d missed before.  
Thankfully the local coffee place was a ten minute walk away and Rossi settled himself in a booth with a large, fresh cup of black coffee and was deep in thought when someone walked over and smiled at him.  
“You look like you could some company, maybe a sounding board.” The man said as he slid into the booth opposite Rossi. “What’s eating you?”  
Rossi looked up and his mouth fell open. “Jason Gideon well I’ll be.” He said, smiling at him. “How you been my friend?”  
“Well you know how it is, you retired from the BAU once.” Gideon replied, shaking his head. “Though I have to admit it’s hard to keep away from our line of business , I’ve been lecturing at colleges all over the states on profiling and what we do up at Quantico.”  
“Yeah I get it, it’s hard to just walk away isn’t it?” Rossi sighed, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing. “There have been a few changes since you left, the team is currently down to three, plus Garcia of course, but that won’t last forever.”  
“Only three of you? Who’s survived and who’s fallen by the wayside?” Gideon asked, trying to figure out who may have left and why.  
“Ah well at the moment, current active agents are myself, Morgan and Reid, we still have Hotch, Emily and JJ but they have family commitments at the moment.” Rossi started. “Did you hear Hotch lost Hayley a few years back?”  
Gideon nodded gravely. “I did, I sent him a card apologizing for missing her funeral, I was on the other side of the country at the time and couldn’t get back. So what’s going on with our girls, did they finally admit what we’ve all known for the last 3 years?” He asked, attempting to inject some humour into the conversation.  
“Yeah they did, it was just after I joined and they’ve been together for the last two years but that’s not why they aren’t around at the moment, the last case we hit was an interesting one and they’ve now adopted, or well are in the process of adopting I should say, a young woman who believes she’s a two year old even though biologically she’s twenty two.” Rossi chuckled. “You should come by some time I know everyone would love to see you and you’d love Fia, she’s a little cutie.” He added.  
“Well I have been meaning to drop in on you guys but unfortunately my schedule hasn’t allowed for such luxuries lately.” Gideon sighed, taking a mouthful of his own coffee. “However I’ve got a few weeks off so maybe it’s time for me to come home for a while?”  
“I’m sure you’ll make lots of people very happy if you did, however if you are free fancy giving me a hand with this case? The unsub is sloppy and has left an evidence trail as long as your arm but I don’t have the same skills as Reid when it comes to spotting patterns and things, I could use some fresh eyes on it.” Rossi asked, trying to hide the hope in voice that Gideon was going to agree.  
“Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do and honestly it’ll be good for me to put into practice what I spend my time lecturing on.” Gideon replied, nodding and taking another mouthful of coffee.   
Rossi nodded at him and they sat in amicable silence as both men finished their coffee before each of them stood in turn and stretched upwards before heading back to the precinct to look over the case and the evidence. An hour later Reid had text Rossi to let him know he and Morgan were on the way back to the precinct and that they’d be another half hour tops.   
Rossi text him back requesting they pick Starbucks up on the way back and that they needed to grab an extra coffee, Reid thought nothing of it and assumed that Hotch may have managed to travel down to join them already and just let Morgan know what Rossi had said. Rossi and Gideon had agreed not to tell Morgan and Reid that he would be joining them for the case and travelling back with them afterwards, wanting to leave it as a surprise for them.   
“I hope you two haven’t forgotten my Starbucks order after three years.” Gideon’s voice greeted Morgan and Reid as they walked in and Reid almost dropped his own coffee in his excitement at seeing his old mentor and friend.  
“Gideon you, you're here!” Reid said, a slight tone of disbelief in his voice. “How are you?”   
Gideon smiled and held his arms out to Reid who instantly ran into them, after all Gideon had been like a father figure to him and they hadn’t seen or heard from him much over the last few years and Reid missed him desperately. Gideon returned the hug with equal enthusiasm, glad that Reid was happy to see him and not angry at him for just taking off in the way that he had done.  
“It’s good to see you Spencer.” Gideon said, “I’m fine, I’ve just been busy, I uh I’m sorry for just taking off like that and leaving you nothing more than the letter I did but I was in a bad place back then, I’m ok now though I promise.” He reassured Reid who just nodded, holding back the tears that had threatened to fall.  
“I’m just glad you came back.” Reid admitted, it was true he had spent a long time being angry with Gideon for taking off without saying a proper goodbye but he had gotten over it now and made his peace with the fact that it was just one of those things Gideon had had to do. “Why did you come back?” His tone wasn’t accusing he was genuinely curious as to why Gideon had chosen here and now to come back.  
“A happy coincidence.” Gideon said. “I happened to walk into the coffee shop Rossi was sat in and he looked like he needed someone to bounce ideas off of so I volunteered and he asked for my help, I understand that Hotch, Em and JJ are all tied up with other things.”   
“Yeah figuratively speaking they are.” Morgan said, “Though if Garcia has anything to do with it Emily or JJ may well be literally tied up.”  
“Why would Gar… Oooooh.” Reid said as he finally caught onto what Morgan meant and blushed a dark red.   
Morgan burst out laughing at Reid’s seeming innocence, Morgan knew only too well that Reid understood exactly what he was going on about. Reid may act innocent but Morgan knew just what he was capable of.  
“Ok children that’s enough.” Rossi cut in, rolling his eyes at Gideon who just chuckled.  
“Well that hasn’t changed I see, good to know.” Gideon said, looking between Morgan and Reid. “So are you guys?” He trailed off as both of them shook their heads.  
“Nope me and Garcia and Reid has the lovely Andy to warm his bed at night.” Morgan said while Reid just blushed harder still, not making eye contact with anyone.  
“Alright Morgan stop teasing him now, the poor kid looks mortified.” Rossi chastised.   
“Yes back to the case, what did you two find out on your detour?” Gideon asked.  
“That’s not relevant to the case Rossi asked you to help us with but we did find out that Alex and Damion had regular contact with each other via skype but not often in person, despite Alex’s attempts.” Reid said. “Damion hasn’t had any contact with his father since the incident and as far as he is aware his father has no idea where he lives.”  
“So maybe we can count out his father as a suspect in Alex’s murder.” Morgan mused aloud, making a separate note on a page of his notepad. “If he didn’t go for Alex when he killed Alicia and attacked Damion then chances are Alex was never the target of his rage.”   
“That would make sense but I think we’d need to track him down before we can answer that question for sure.” Rossi said.   
“Surely though the serial killer we have takes priority over the escaped convict?” Reid asked, concerned that while they were focused on this case the unsub they’d been called in to catch had more opportunity to kill again and the last thing they needed was more bodies to turn up because their focused had been shifted to a less relevant case that in theory could be solved by the local police force without the help of the BAU. It wasn’t that he thought the case they had stumbled upon wasn’t important, of course it was solving a murder case was always important but he was concerned that it wasn’t the best use of FBI resources and even then they had to be invited in by the sheriff before they could officially investigate any further.  
“That’s a maybe but there’s nothing to say we can’t either divide and conquer or multitask and work on both cases at the same time? For all we know they may be linked anyway, we just may not have found the link yet.” Rossi argued.  
“That’s a very good point.” Gideon agreed. “Both are good points but the way I see it, if we prioritize our focus on one case over the other we will likely miss integral details in both cases.”  
“So what do we do? Divide and conquer or work both alongside each other and see if there is a connection and if we can find it?” Morgan asked, hoping that someone would make the decision soon, of course he wasn’t bothered how they ended up working it just so long as both cases got solved.  
“I vote that we take a look at both cases together and see if there’s a link between the two, if there is we work them both side by side, if not we divide and conquer.” Rossi said.  
“Ok so fill me in, what have we got for sure?” Gideon asked, pulling one of the files over to himself and flicking it open.  
“Okay well let’s start with the case we got called in on.” Rossi said, pulling up a chair and sitting on it. “A string of individuals have gone missing over the last month, each of the victims have been in their late twenties to early thirties and each have had a connection to the LGBT community in some way, they’d be missing for approximately 3 days before being found dumped in alleyways by dumpster’s thrown out like trash.”  
“Each of them showed signs of sexual assault and serious overkill.” Reid said, picking up where Rossi had left off. “One victim had a total of seventy two stab wounds to her body, though it wasn’t clear if she died instantly from one of the stab wounds or if it was exsanguination, personally I’d hope for the first as chances are she didn’t suffer for long if she died of one of the stab wounds whereas obviously exsanguination would have taken time and she’d have suffered for a while before she either mercifully passed out from the pain or her organs just gave up and she died.”   
“Torture element possibly?” Gideon suggested, looking at some of the photos from the crime scenes.   
“Unconfirmed.” Morgan said simply. “One of the bodies was so badly disfigured they had to use dental recognition to identify them.”   
All four men fell into silence as they looked at the files, Reid stood by the board with the map on it, double checking Rossi’s markers and seeing if he was able to spot a pattern emerging. He had started muttering to himself as flicked through the files, mentally matching the markers with facts from the case, he seemed to be hitting a mental block and it was starting to frustrate him.   
“Rossi I think I got something, I just gotta call Garcia to check something.” Morgan said, pulling his phone out and dialling her number.  
“I was almost starting to think you’d forgotten about me.” Garcia answered, the pout on her face evident in her tone of voice.  
“Come on Mama I’d never forget about my best girl.” Morgan said, his smooth tone conveying the hidden meaning between his words despite his best efforts to hide the fact. “Listen baby girl I need you to check something for me. Can you do that?”  
“Of course I can but I won’t if you keep doubting my superior fact finding skills.” Garcia said slightly playfully. “What do you need my handsome God?”  
“Well first off I have a surprise for you, you are on speaker and there’s something that wants to say ‘hello’.” Morgan said, grinning at Gideon who smiled back and nodded.  
“Penelope, how are things in your little geek cave?” He said, grinning as he heard her almost fall off of her chair.  
“Gideon? Is that? Morgan you best not be messing with me.” Garcia said.  
“Jason Gideon at your service m’lady.” Gideon replied. “Now that you’ve picked yourself and your chair back up off the floor maybe you can do that magical thing you do and find us some answers we can’t find for ourselves?”  
“You got it, what do you need?” Garcia replied as she did indeed pick both herself and her chair up and sat back in it once more.  
“Can you give me the dates when Hogarth escaped from the prison transfer vehicle and when the first victim went missing?” Gideon asked her, pen at the ready to make a note of both of them.  
“Just one second my esteemed man and you will… bingo!” Garcia said, pulling up the dates. “Hogarth absconded from prison on the nineteenth of last month and the first victim went missing three days later on the twenty second.”   
“That fits with our theory that maybe Maxwell Hogarth is our unsub after all.” Rossi mused. “Garcia pull up everything you can find on our first vic.”  
“Your wish is my command Sir, it may take some time though so I will hit you back when I’ve got something useful, Garcia out.” And with that she hung up and the rest of the team sighed.  
“So do we really think that Hogarth is the unsub?” Reid asked, suddenly confused that they had somehow made a connection he had totally missed.  
“There are some indications that he could be.” Morgan said, “If you look at the timeline and where the first victim went missing and then found, it looks like he escaped just outside Kentucky and somehow made it over the border into the state without being detected.”   
Reid’s brow furrowed as he looked at the map and then the notes in the file, how could he have missed something so glaringly obvious? He sighed and turned back to Morgan.  
“I think you may be correct, however if you look at this marker here.” He said, pointing to the first marker placed on the map. “It would assume that somehow it would have taken Hogarth almost 4 days from where he escaped to get to that point.”  
“Woah how did I miss that?” Morgan said, he thought he had a solid theory going but Reid had apparently shut it down with ease.  
“It’s ok I may well be working off the assumption that he was on foot all the way, however he could of course found a way to drive part of the way, and he may well have access to transport now but we can’t be sure.” Reid reminded him, none of them were perfect and they all made mistakes, however when someone blamed themselves for concocting a working theory that turned out to be partily impossible they others made sure that they were reminded that mistakes were ok.  
“Maybe we should ask our little oracle when she calls us back?” Rossi suggested wanting to put a stop to the bickering before it got wildly out of hand.

Morgan and Reid stopped bickering and nodded, if all else fails and they can’t solve something like this between them with overwhelming evidence to support one theory over the other they turned to Garcia for the answers.   
“Though I hate to put a damper on both theories and Garcia’s abilities to find things out, however something tells me that unless Hogarth had a tracker of some description attached to him I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll be able to find out exactly how he got around until we bring him in and question him.” Gideon pointed out. “I have a feeling that this guy is good at keeping off grid and flying under the radar.”   
The younger agents glared at him before realizing that he had a very valid point, he’d been on the run for a month already without so much as a whiff of where he was or where he had been in that time, he was good, unfortunately they had to give him that.  
“Why is it you always make the most sense even though you’ve been gone for three years?” Reid pouted. “I thought I was the resident genius, you gotta stop challenging me for my title.”  
“Hey kid, where do you think you learnt to be the genius around here?” Rossi shot back, jumping in to defend his old friend. “Gideon was your mentor, he taught you almost everything you know about being in the BAU.”   
Reid’s mouth fell open and snapped shut once more, he didn’t have a counter argument for that and Rossi smirked at him knowing he’d won this round. Morgan chuckled and put his arm around Reid, ruffling his hair in the process.   
“It’s ok Reid, you can’t have all of the answers all of the time.” He pointed out and Reid ducked out from under his arm and pouted more. “Stop sulking and I’ll buy you a milkshake.” He added trying to bribe Reid into cheering up and focusing.   
“With extra cream and sprinkles?” Reid asked, looking up at Morgan with wide eyes, yep even after they’d broken up Morgan still knew the way to his heart.  
“Of course now will you please cheer up?” Morgan promised.  
“I guess I can.” Reid said, still pouting a little but not as much.  
“Once you two are done bargaining over milkshakes and pouting like children shall we get back to the case?” Rossi said. “We still have a few more hours before it may be a good idea to go get some food and head to the hotel to get some sleep.”   
As if in response Morgan’s stomach growled, the group chuckled and thought maybe they should take a food break now.   
“Um excuse me Agent's?” One of the local police officers said, sticking her head in the door. “We’ve found another body, it looks like our guy.”   
They all groaned and picked up their gear before heading out of the door to go to the latest crime scene.  
They arrived about twenty minutes later, the dumpsite was slightly off the beaten track and more secluded. It was an old industrial site that wasn’t used anymore and was starting to crumble so not many people came here anymore, yet another change in the unsubs MO, it made no sense to any of them. It was dank and dingy and the only reason the body had been discovered at all is because the lone security guard was doing his rounds and found it.   
“Well this is different, why dump a body all the way out here when it’s a mostly disused area? It makes no sense, it doesn’t fit with the way this guy works.” Morgan said and the others agreed with him, there was definitely something off about this, it didn’t feel right at all.   
“Weapons out, stick together and keep a close look out for anything out of the ordinary.” Rossi instructed them and they nodded. “Something tells me this is either a decoy or a trap, either way we have to find out and fast.”  
The four of them went from building to building, checking each of them for signs of people or a trap. They didn’t find anything at first then they spotted an abandoned car round the back of one of the buildings, they approached it slowly, guns drawn.  
“This is the FBI if there is anybody in this car, I want you to put your hands out of the window where I can see them and stay in the car!” Rossi shouted the warning as they got closer.  
Nothing happened so they assumed the car was empty and had just been left there for whatever reason. Reid got the closest and started to circle the car, looking for clues to help them with either case.  
“ROSSI BOMB! EVERYONE GET OUT!” Reid yelled, he’d spotted the bomb in the back seat of the car and dove out of the way. The others ran fifty feet from the car and hid in the nearest building, they managed to slam the door shut just as the bomb went off, blowing the car into shrapnel.  
“Close call, good spot Reid.” Rossi said, making sure that everyone was ok. “Hopefully there’s enough left of the car for us to send off for testing and maybe we can figure out what that bomb was built of and any other clues.”  
Morgan pulled the door to the building open and stuck his head outside. “Uhh I don’t think so Rossi, the car is in small pieces, flung all over the place, chances are even if we find all of it we won’t be able to put it back to together and get anything viable from it.”   
“God dammit!” Rossi swore. “I’m sorry guys but at least everyone is one piece and still able to walk.”  
“Ok, tape off the area and get the local police out here, there’s nothing more we can do here I don’t think.” Gideon said, before he pulled Reid to one side and spoke quietly to him. “Are you ok? You look like you’ve got a limp.”  
“I think I just twisted my ankle a little getting out of the way but I’m ok I’ll just walk it off.” He reassured Gideon, moving his ankle gingerly and testing it out and putting weight on it, wincing a little as he did so.  
“I think we may need to get you checked out by a Doctor.” Gideon replied, his concern obvious.  
“Da.. Gideon I’m fine.” Reid said, ignoring the almost disastrous slipup he’d made “Honestly I don’t need to go to a Doctor.”  
Gideon sighed a little, he noticed what Reid had almost done and that was normally an indication that he needed someone to take over and make decisions for him and make him feel safe. He leant in close to Reid and whispered softly in his ear so he definitely couldn’t be overheard. “Please? For me? Daddy is worried about his little boy.”   
Reid pouted a little but nodded, when Gideon said things like that it was impossible for Reid to argue with him. He leant in and whispered back. “Daddy stay with me? I don’t wanna go alone.” There was a slight whimper in his voice that showed just how insecure he was feeling for reasons Gideon hadn’t figured out yet.  
“I promise I will.” He replied, pulling Reid in for a hug.  
“Is everything ok?” Rossi said, walking over to them, a look of concern on his face.  
“Yeah but I think Reid has seriously hurt his ankle or foot so I’m going to take him to the emergency room to get checked out.” Gideon said nodding at Rossi. “Are you and Morgan going to be ok for a few hours? I just need to make sure he hasn’t broken it or anything.”  
Rossi looked to Reid who nodded, not letting on just how pain he was in but nothing escaped Rossi’s view and he could tell just how much his ankle was hurting him. Without even thinking about it he nodded. “Course we can, just make sure you look after him.” He said to Gideon who nodded back. “And make sure he stays there, we both know what he’s like.” The older men chuckled and Gideon shook his head, putting an arm around around Spencer to support him and walking him to the car.   
The drive to the Hospital took about an hour and Reid miraculously slept most of the way there. Gideon had set him on the back seat of the car and he had fallen asleep almost instantly despite the pain he was in. When they got to the hospital Gideon had left Reid in the car while he ran in to get a wheelchair for Spencer to sit in to enable him to keep the weight off of his leg for as long as he could. Gideon lifted him from the car into the wheelchair and pushed him inside the hospital. Reid hated hospitals, he always had done and his hatred of them had only increased after spending time visiting his mother in hospital on several different occasions.   
“It’s ok I’m here.” Gideon reassured him as they made their way into the waiting area of the emergency room. “I’m not going to leave you.”  
Reid nodded but whimpered a little, still not comfortable with being in a hospital but understanding that it was the best place for him. In a bid to distract him, Gideon passed him his mobile so he could sit and play games on it like a small child. Reid was happy with this, not that he’d ever admit it but he found some kind of comfort in being babied a little by Gideon at the moment. It was one of his little quirks but at times he just needed that extra bit of comfort to stop him from stressing out too much, thankfully this was something Andy understood and he always made sure that when Reid was getting stressed out he’d make sure that he took some time out to destress in any way he wanted, sometimes he’d join him and sit and watch children’s films or some of the old children’s television programmes that Reid loved watching as a child.  
“Dr Reid?” The nurse called his name, causing him to jump a little as he’d been hyper focused on his game. Gideon stood up and maneuvered the wheelchair over to the nurse who then led them into a side room to examine him. “So what’s been going on?” The nurse asked, smiling at them both. Gideon nudged Reid who looked up at her and took a breath before talking to her.  
“On a case at work and there was a car bomb.” He started, looking down at his lap. “I spotted it first and yelled out to the others but as we ran for cover in the closest building I twisted my ankle.”  
The nurse nodded and took some notes before turning back to him. “Okay I need to take a look at your ankle, can you take your shoes and socks off please?” She asked. 

Reid looked at Gideon with horror on his face at the thought of needing to take his shoes and socks off, something he wasn’t used to doing unless it was to shower or to go to bed. Gideon knelt down next to him and spoke gently.   
“It’s ok, it’s just so she can have a proper look at your foot and ankle and you have to take both of them off so she can check for swelling.” He said, trying to calm Reid down before the younger agent insisted he take him back.

Spencer bit his lip and nodded slowly. “Ok, can you help me?” He asked, not trusting the nurse to do it.   
Gideon nodded and started to unlace his shoes enough to slide them both off of his feet, Reid winced at the pain but bit back a help. Gideon took his socks off as well, avoiding touching the soles of his feet that were incredibly sensitive but also knowing that Reid had problems with people touching his feet after he had been held hostage several years ago by Tobias Hankel. A sharp intake of breath indicated to Reid that he must have done more than just twisted his ankle as he’d thought.  
“Ok let’s see what we’ve got here.” The nurse said, kneeling down next to Gideon. “I think we may need to x-ray your ankle sweetie, it looks like it make be broken or at the very least fractured.” She said.  
Reid’s eyes filled with panic as he looked between the nurse and Gideon. He really didn’t want the x-ray done at all but he knew that he’d have to if he had any hopes of getting out of the hospital quickly. Gideon gave the nurse a pointed look and she nodded and said that she’d give him a moment and she’d be just outside. Gideon quickly stood up and pulled Reid into a hug as Reid started crying, the memories of his time being held hostage by Hankel.  
“Come on kiddo, you can do this, it’s ok, I’ll stay with you, just like I promised.” He said soothingly, rubbing Reid’s back as he clung to him.  
Reid nodded and slowly started to calm down, he knew he didn’t need to explain why he’d broken down like that as he knew that Gideon understood, he had been there for the aftermath of it and had helped him overcome his fears about the whole thing.   
“Come on then, shall we go out to the nurse and let her know that you're ready?” Gideon asked and Reid just nodded slowly. Gideon smiled and pushed the chair out of the side room and the nurse pointed them in the direction of the x-ray department.  
About twenty minutes later Reid had been x-rayed and was sat back in the waiting room as indicated while the nurse waited for the results to come back and consult with the doctors on what to do next. He was starting to get fidgety and anxious again so Gideon got up and went to get him a drink of water in a bid to help him calm down a little as he started playing the game again that he’d been playing beforehand.   
Another half an hour of waiting and Reid was called back into the same side room by the nurse, he gripped Gideon’s hand tightly as the nurse pulled up his x-ray pictures and looked at them with him there, pointing out the break in his ankle and the fracture to the top part of his foot.   
“Unfortunately the Doctors have said that the break in your ankle is that bad that they will have to operate on it and put pins in your ankle.” She said, preparing herself for the negative reaction that Reid was likely to throw back at her.  
Reid looked up at Gideon, his eye’s wide with fear, if there was one thing he really didn’t like the idea of it was needing an operation to fix his ankle. “Is there no way it can just be plastered and left to heal on it’s own?” He asked, desperation in his voice as he looked up at the nurse from the wheelchair.   
“I’m sorry Spencer but there really isn’t.” She replied. “I understand that you don’t like the idea of having an operation done because of your past medical history, however there is no way around it, I already asked the Doctor’s, they have said that I can put it in a back slab temporarily so you can go back to Virginia and have the operation done there but there is absolutely no way to avoid having the operation done.”   
Reid slumped down in the wheelchair and sighed, at least she had tried to persuade the doctors that was another way for him to heal without the operation but she had made it clear that it wasn’t possible.   
“Thank you nurse.” Gideon said, knowing full well that Reid had no intention of doing so as he was likely sulking now.   
“One good thing about using the back slab on your leg for now is that I won’t have to cut your pants off, I can roll them up to put the cast around your foot and ankle up to your mid thigh then put the boot over the top between the cast and your pants.” The nurse said, smiling and hoping that the information would soothe him a little. “I’ll just go and get what I need to sort you out then as soon as the cast is set and dry we can get the boot on and you will be free to go home.” Reid nodded as she left the room and sighed as soon as the door was closed.   
“That is just my luck, I’m almost certain that I am the only member of our team that could have broken my ankle and fractured my foot simultaneously just by running away from a car bomb.” He moaned. “Oh man I haven’t told Andy yet, he’ll freak when he finds out.”   
“Don’t sweat it, I rang Garcia and told her what had happened while you were in getting x-rayed and she sent me Andy’s number and I’ve already told him. He’s worried about you but he’s glad you are ok and safe.” Gideon said reassuringly. “He said he’ll be at Quantico when you get back and that if you have broken something, which we now know you have and I will text him in a minute and tell him so, that he’ll be ready to wait on you hand and foot, until you get bored of him doing it then he said he would drop you off with either Emily and JJ or Garcia to babysit you during the day.” He added, chuckling a little at the look of horror on Reid’s face.  
“He’s going to hate that I have to have an operation.” Reid whined, pouting up at Gideon. “He won’t let me live it down.”   
“He’ll be fine don’t worry, and if he teases you about it then you’ll have a weapon to beat him around the head with.” Gideon chuckled.   
Just then the nurse came back into the room with the tray of things she needed to plaster his leg.  
Reid just sat there pouting a little as the nurse sat on a stool in front of him and slowly started to plaster his leg up. Gideon chuckled at the fact he was still being rather childish about the whole thing, it wasn’t going to be a bad thing, until the time came for him to take days off work after his operation when chances are he literally wouldn’t be able to anything beyond sitting in a chair with his leg raised. He was going to get very bored and that would mean he’d find a way to get himself into some kind of mischief unless he was under close supervision the entire time as he would need to keep his mind busy to distract himself from not being able to be in work.   
Ten minutes later the plaster cast was finished and they just had to wait for it to dry before the nurse could fit the boot around it then they could go. In that time Gideon had called both Andy and Rossi to fill them in.

Rossi had told Gideon to just take the car they had and drive Reid back to Quantico and to call in when they got back, Gideon was then able to work on the case from Quantico alongside Garcia so that he didn’t have to drive all the back alone and also gave Andy and Garcia a third pair of eyes on Reid who would most likely try to find any way he could to be allowed to stay with them and work on the case but Rossi had made it clear that he was to go home and stay there.  
“Ok your cast is dry now so I’ll put the boot on you and then you are free to go.” The nurse smiled at Reid who just nodded, still feeling disgruntled about the whole situation.   
“And you’ve got strict instructions to go home with Andy as soon as we get back to Quantico, no arguments, no discussion.” Gideon said, causing Reid to groan loudly.  
“That’s not fair, it’s just a break.” Reid whined, if he could stamp his foot he would have done. “I don’t wanna be stuck at home.”  
“That’s not my call Reid, Rossi is in charge while Hotch is out with Jack as you well know, so what he says goes and he’s told me to drive you back to Quantico and deliver you to Andy, making sure you go home with him and don’t try and come back.” Gideon said firmly. “Straight home.” He reinforced as Reid opened his mouth to argue with him.   
“I still don’t see why I can’t work in the office while I’m on crutches.” Reid pouted. “All I’d be able to do is sit around anyway so why can’t I make myself useful and sit around at work?”  
“We aren’t going to argue about this Ried, I’ve been told to drive you back to Quantico and that’s what I’m going to do.” Gideon’s tone of voice left no room for Reid to try and argue with him so he just glared at him instead. “Come on you grumpy little brat.” Gideon chuckled, pushing Reid out of the room and back towards the car.  
“I’m not a brat.” Reid said, the pout still on his face evident in his voice.   
“Stop acting like a brat then.” Gideon said simply, pulling the wheelchair up to the car and putting the brakes on while he unlocked the car and opened the door for Reid to get in.  
Reid simply stuck his tongue out at Gideon and slid into the back seat to allow him to rest his leg up and leave him in a relatively comfortable position to sit in and hopefully, or so he hoped anyway, he’d be able to sleep all the way back to Quantico.  
By the time they pulled into the parking lot at Quantico darkness had well and truly fallen, Reid had been given painkillers that had the side effect of making him sleepy and he’d crashed ten minutes after they’d left the hospital.  
“Hey, Reid?” Gideon said, looking into the back seat of the car and smiling softly as he saw the young agent fast asleep. Gideon got out of the car and walked round to the trunk to get the wheelchair they had borrowed from the hospital out and move it to the side of the car where Reid’s head was. Reid stirred a little as Gideon opened the car door and gently poked him to wake him up properly.   
“Huh wha?” Reid said, still in his drug and sleep induced haze, he yawned and rubbed his eyes as Gideon helped him sit up properly. “Where are we?” He asked, blinking a little as he look around.  
“Quantico, you slept all the way back here.” Gideon said, supporting him as Reid shifted himself closer to the door. “I’ve got the wheelchair all set up for you so all you need to do is slide into it.” He added.  
Reid nodded and gripped onto Gideon’s shoulder as he slid out of the car and settled himself in the wheelchair, his head was still a little fuzzy as the medication he’d been given still hadn’t worn off completely yet but he was awake enough to grumble as Gedion pushed him towards the elevator. The second the elevator door slid open Garcia was practically in Reid's lap hugging him hard and checking him over for any other injuries apart from the broken ankle.  
“Garcia I’m ok I promise.” Reid said, wincing as she accidently hit his foot. “Just please be carefull.”  
Garcia gasped as she realized what she’d done and quickly stepped back. “Oh oh I’m sorry.” She said, moving behind the wheelchair to hug him safely. “Andy said he’s on his way, the job he was at overran and took longer than he had anticipated but until he gets here your wish is my command.”   
“In that case, get me up to the conference room and patch me into Rossi and Morgan.” Reid said with Gideon stood behind him shaking his head at Garcia so that Reid couldn’t see it.  
“Ok let me specify, apart from that your wish is my command.” Garcia said, giving Reid the sternest look she could muster. “I’m under strict instructions not to let you anywhere near this case, or any other case for that matter, until you’ve had the operation and are out of plaster.”  
Reid pouted up at her and crossed his arm in a sulky manner. “Come on Garcia please? I can’t do any harm sat in a wheelchair in the conference room, I need to keep my mind occupied.” He said, all but begging her.  
“No Spencer.” Gideon said firmly, cutting in to stop the argument before it started. “I’ve said no, Garcia’s said no and don’t even think about asking Andy because he will say no as well.”  
Reid glared up at Gideon. “Fine then all I want to do is go home.” He said.  
“Spencer you are acting like a brat again.” Gideon growled a little and Spencer sighed.  
“I’m sorry I’m just frustrated that I’m not allowed to do anything.” He replied, his tone returning almost to normal again.   
“That may be but you can’t talk to us like that.” Garcia said, anger rising in her voice which shocked both men into silence. She rarely got angry, about anything, she was the person that, even with all the shit they saw, day in, day out, she remained her usual bubbly self, so seeing her getting angry with Reid was making them a little uncomfortable.  
“She’s right you know Reid.” Gideon added, trying to diffuse the tension.   
“I’m sorry.” Reid said again, looking up at Garcia. “Forgive me?”   
Garcia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Like you even need to ask me that boy wonder.” She said, moving to hug him. “But I swear to you, you talk to me like that again I’ll do the thing that nobody likes to think about me doing.”   
Reid’s face paled, everyone on the team were well aware of just what Garcia meant when she said do the thing and he never wanted to get beyond the point of being threatened with it. “Can we maybe go for coffee?” He asked, sheepishly.   
“I think that can be arranged sure.” Garcia replied. “I’ll have to tell Andy that we’re heading out and to meet us at the coffee shop or wherever we end up.”   
Reid smiled and nodded in response, shifting in his wheelchair to try and relieve the numbness he felt in his butt from being sat for so long. It wasn’t until his stomach growled at him that he realized just how hungry he was, he clutched his stomach and blushed a little.   
“Maybe we should get food as well as coffee?” Gideon suggested, seeing the look on Reid’s face. “And if we call Hotch, Emily and JJ I’m sure we can get a table big enough for eight.” He added.  
“Um ten.” Garcia replied. “Jessica has moved in with Hotch to help him look after Jack on a more permanent basis and the reason Em and JJ are off is…” She glanced at Reid who shrugged and nodded.  
“Oh of course how could I forget about Fia.” Gideon smiled, feeling rather proud of the fact that Garcia hadn’t wanted to break Emily and JJ’s trust by telling him something he may not have been told already.  
“You know? About Fia I mean?” Garcia said, looking at Gideon.   
“Yeah Rossi filled me in when I ran into him and he asked me to help on the case.” Gideon replied, shrugging a little. “I’d just forgotten with everything that happened today, it’s been rather eventful I have to admit, I forgot how insane it could be around here at times.”  
“That’s so true. By the way I shot texts out to the rest of the gang and Hotch said thanks but Jack still isn’t well enough to come out and he’s still clinging to Hotch and Jessica so they can’t come, however you’ve been told that you absolutely have to go and visit them while you are around and Emily and JJ have said they’ll come but they are gonna drop Fia off with Hotch and Jack so they can have some ‘adult’ time.” Garcia said, reading the texts on her phone. “So it looks like it’s a table for six.”   
“Sounds good to me, Reid, what do you fancy for food?” Gideon asked, looking to Reid. “Reid? Oh dear, poor guy is fast asleep again.” He said, brushing Reid’s hair out of his face.  
“He’s had a hard afternoon by the sounds of things.” Garcia said, smiling fondly at him. “He never did like hospitals and the fact that it’s his foot that’s the problem will have set him off even worse.”   
“Yeah I’m almost sure he had Hankel flashbacks.” Gideon said. “That and to be honest they gave him some seriously strong painkillers. I’m amazed he’s woken up at all.”  
Both of them sighed and silently agreed that Reid’s favorite food place was the safest option. Garcia called ahead to the local Indian restaurant booking the table for half an hour from now before texting the others to tell them where to meet them.   
Within fifteen minutes Garcia and Gideon had somehow managed to load Reid back into the car and drive him to the restaurant without him waking up. Gideon made a point of waking Reid up, to put him in the wheelchair and putting a blanket around his legs as the temperature had started to drop. Reid was happy when he realized where they were and asked for a extra strong shot of coffee to counteract the effects of the painkillers he’d been given to stop him from going back to sleep. 

“Gideon!” JJ grinned as she got out of the car and spotted the group. “It’s good to see you.” She walked over and hugged him. She was wearing a teal cocktail dress and black heels, her hair hung in loose curls over her left shoulder.   
“Well don’t you look stunning and all grown up?” Gideon smiled, hugging her back and picking her up a little.   
“Put my girlfriend down Gideon before I put you both on the floor.” Emily’s playful voice followed JJ as she got out the other side of the car. She was wearing her usual suit but it was navy and coupled with her own pair of black heels, her hair was hanging down her back in it’s natural waves.   
“Emily!” Gideon said, almost dropping JJ on the ground to move over and hug Emily in turn. “You haven’t changed a bit since I last saw you.”  
“I’m not sure weather to take that as a compliment or not?” Emily replied, hugging him back and turning to Reid. “How you holding up?”  
Reid blinked up at her, he was still waiting for his coffee shot to kick in but he smiled at her none the less. “As about as well as is to be expected.” He said, waving a hand at his leg in the plaster. “I have to have an operation to put pins in my shattered ankle.” He added a small pout on his face.  
“Well, that sounds awful but if you need some company you’ll be more than welcome to come to ours during the day, Fia will love having her Uncle Spencer around.” JJ said, moving to hug him. “She was asking about you all earlier, it may only have been a few days but she misses you all.”  
“So why didn’t you bring her with you?” Gideon asked, a little non-plussed as he’d already said she was welcome.   
“Because it’s been almost six weeks now and we haven’t had an evening to ourselves.” Emily replied, winding her arms around JJ’s middle and kissing her neck. “So Hotch agreed to let her sleepover with Jack to give us a break.”  
Garcia giggled and winked at the couple as they all made their way inside the restaurant, Andy had text Garcia to let her know that he’d be about ten minutes and to order him a beer. They were quickly showed to their table and with Gideon still pushing Reid in his wheelchair maneuvered him into position at the head of the table, leaving a gap on his right for Andy to sit next time. Garcia sat on his left side, Gideon next to Garcia and Emily and JJ sat next to the gap for Andy. They were all chatting among themselves when Andy arrived and instantly ran over to Reid to hug him. He slid into the chair next to Reid and kissed him. The waiter came over and took the drinks orders before leaving them to look over the menu’s and decide what they wanted to order.   
The conversation flowed easily, it was like Gideon had never left and they enjoyed catching up with him. The only pause in the general chatter was for the waiter to come and take the food orders and bring their drinks. Reid ordered a chicken tikka, Andy a Rogan Josh with shrimp, JJ and Emily both had lamb kormas, Gideon ordered the hottest curry they had on the menu, a vindaloo with extra chillies and Garcia had a korma with paneer and vegetables.  
“How were Jack and Hotch when you dropped Fia off?” Reid asked, taking a mouthful of his cola, as much as he’d have loved a glass of wine he couldn’t drink until after the operation in a few days time.  
“Jack was asleep I think but Hotch was fine, he was perfectly happy for Fia to sleepover and she went to him without any arguments so it was a good thing.” Emily replied, sipping her martini and checking her mobile to see if there had been any problems so far.  
“That poor kid has had a rough week.” Garcia sighed. “Jessica said that apparently there were some complications when he had the operation.”  
“What happened?” JJ asked, this was the first they’d heard of Jack’s operation other than it was successful and he was in recovery. “All we got told was that Jack had had the operation and that he was recovering well but it was taking some time.”  
“Well they didn’t manage to him down to surgery in time and his appendix burst seconds before they managed to remove it so they had to battle to stop the infection spreading and killing off some of his other organs.” Garcia replied. “They got his appendix out though, it was just more complicated than had been anticipated.”  
“Oh my gosh, poor Jack.” Emily said, her mouth dropping open. “Poor Hotch as well, no wonder he hasn’t wanted to leave Jack’s side, he almost lost him.”   
There was a series of nods and general noises of concerned agreement around the table. All of them were such a close knit group that any pain felt by one member of the team normally reverberated around the rest of the team, having a kind of ripple effect.  
“I’d ask why he didn’t tell us just how bad things were but we all know Hotch is such a private person, even more so since Hayley died.” JJ commented after a moment of silence. “As much as I can understand that I do wish he’d let us in sometimes.”  
Emily sighed and put her arm around JJ, half pulling her into a hug. “He can’t help it babe, you know how bad I was, and still can be, even letting you in let alone the rest of the team.” She said and JJ nodded. “I’m better now, but I can totally understand why Hotch still keeps things to himself.”  
The table fell into silence once more, thinking back to what it was like when Hayley was first murdered and how hard it was for Hotch to even talk to them about work related things, they weren’t sure Hayley’s name left his lips for maybe six months or so after her funeral. Jessica had been a total Godsend in that time and honestly it hadn’t come as a shock to any of them when Hotch had told them Jessica was moving in on a permanent basis.  
“Do you think Hotch and Jessica are together?” Reid mused aloud, gaining several confused looks from the table. “Well it makes sense if you think about it, Hotch misses Hayley so much, even now, he can’t get Hayley back so falling in love with her sister is the next best thing right?”  
“Reid, honey, I don’t think he could do that to either of them. At least not consciously, he’d know that Jessica would likely manage to figure out that he’d date her in a vain attempt to get Hayley back and he definitely wouldn’t want to insult Hayley’s memory like that, not to mention how confusing it would be for Jack to have to see Jessica as anything but his Aunt.” Garcia said. “I guess it’s possible that he thought about it but I can’t see him acting on it, not yet anyway.”  
Reid stopped to consider this but his thought process was interrupted by the arrival of the food. They had ordered large bowls of rice as well as naan bread and poppadoms as well as the currys and they were spread down the table so everyone had access to all of the sides on offer.  
They sat happily and talked more while they ate, the topics were varied and many, everything from the case Morgan and Rossi were still out working on to what Gideon had been doing in the three years since he left the BAU and if he had any plans to come back. Much to Reid’s relief Gideon said that, depending on how well this current case went he would definitely consider making the return to the BAU a permanent one.   
Several hours later and the group had finished their food, had several drinks and were ready to go their separate ways. Reid’s care had been handed over to Andy for the time being, Garcia had offered Gideon her couch to crash on for the night and until he found a place to rent downtown and Emily and JJ said they said plans to go elsewhere before heading home so were going to leave the car in the parking lot and grab a taxi onwards. They said their goodbyes and headed off in three totally different directions.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS MOSTLY SMUT WITHOUT PLOT!!!
> 
> If you don't like smut then you can skip this chapter without too many issues as it won't effect the story line. If you do choose to continue you have been warned!
> 
> As always I love reading all of your comments.

Chapter 23

When Emily and JJ got to the club the music was loud and the lights were already flashing. Emily was surprised at just how busy the club was as it had only opened for the night a few hours ago. JJ giggled as she pulled Emily inside, she loved this club but it wasn’t often they had the chance to come here and enjoy themselves.   
The club was a little hot as they found themselves stood by the bar, Emily had already opened a tab and both she and JJ were sipping on Martinis and listening to the music, the bass pumping loudly and causing Emily to feel it in her chest. When they had finished their first drinks JJ grabbed Emily’s hand and led her onto the dancefloor, Emily stood there a little awkwardly, she was never very good with any form of dancing that wasn’t more traditional, in the sense that she could waltz, tango and quickstep with ease but ask her to dance in a club and she was lost. She was grateful that JJ could dance like this and was happy to take the lead, she spun round and started grinding provocatively on Emily, her arms around Emily’s neck and as she pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Emily moaned into the kiss and started to relax a little, letting go and trying to dance with JJ while trying not to make it obvious just how much the blonde woman was turning her on right now.   
“Babe, if I were a guy right now you would know just what kind of effect you are having on me.” She purred in JJ’s ear as the blonde kept grinding into her.   
JJ pulled back, her eyes dark with lust as she stared longingly into her girlfriend’s dark brown eyes. “I could very much say the same thing about you.” She purred in response. She looked down at Emily, she was only a few inches taller than the brunette but it was enough for her to need to bend her head a little to kiss her.  
They pulled apart a little and smiled at each other. The music was still just as loud and still fast, Emily was finding it a little hard to keep up with the pace of it.  
“Shall we get another drink my love?” JJ asked, sensing Emily’s mild discomfort.  
Emily nodded and they made their way back to the bar to order shots of tequila and more martinis, as relaxed as Emily felt at the moment JJ knew that she’d need more alcohol in her before she relaxed fully. It was a fine line between helping Emily relax and be comfortable in the club and getting her so drunk they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the rest of the evening they had planned.   
“I’m ok.” Emily said, sensing JJ’s concern about her. “I promise, I’m ok baby.” She reassured her and leant in to kiss her softly.   
“We can always just have a few more drinks and uh… Move on.” JJ suggested, winking at Emily. Emily had handed control over to JJ for the evening and had no idea what ‘moving on’ meant but she was looking forward to it, whatever it was JJ had planned.  
“Ok, I like the sound of that.” Emily smiled, finishing her martini and ordering another one as well as another shot of tequila.   
“You got it babe.” JJ replied.  
The women finished off another three rounds of drinks before they decided it was time to move on. JJ had her arm around Emily as they both stumbled a little out of the club, neither of them were drunk but both were now starting to regret the fact they had chosen to wear heels. Emily groaned a little as they stopped on the sidewalk to hail another taxi to JJ’s next mystery location.  
“I may end up taking my heels off by the end of the evening.” Emily said, rubbing the side of her feet as they slid into the taxi. “Though can I ask where we’re heading next?”  
JJ shook her head and just winked at Emily, she handed the taxi driver a piece of paper with the address on it and he smiled at them, driving off down the road.   
“Aw come on, don’t I get even one tiny little clue?” Emily whined a little, pouting at JJ who smirked at her.   
“Nope, not even a tiny hint.” She replied, teasing a little. “But trust me you’ll enjoy it.”  
Emily pouted more as she sat back in the taxi, she was feeling a little disorientated and gave up trying to look out of the window to see where they were headed. She leant into JJ a little and sighed as JJ started to play with her hair. Another ten minutes and the taxi pulled up outside a small club that Emily instantly recognized.   
“Oh you didn’t.” Emily said, shaking her head, a smile on her face.  
“Oh but I did.” JJ replied smugly. “How could I not bring you back to the place where we finally declared our love to each other?”  
“Jayje it’s a strip club!” Emily said, mildly mortified that JJ thought it was a good idea to bring Emily here.  
“I’m aware, it was where you were when you called me at four in the morning to come and get you because you were drunk off your face and depressed because you’d be dumped.” JJ said, shaking her head and chuckling. “I came to get you and you dragged me inside it and preceded to do a strip tease and dance around the pole.”  
Emily’s face went scarlet as the memory of that night came flooding back to her. “Oh Gods.” She groaned, burying her face in the taller woman’s shoulder as the blonde giggled at her. “That was so embarrassing, why did you have to remind me of that?” She wasn’t angry at all, just totally mortified now she knew just why JJ had bought her here in the first place.   
“Because despite the situation it was one of the happiest nights of my life.” JJ retorted, “I’d been dying to tell you for months how I felt about you but you were in a relationship and I didn’t want to come between you and her at that time, I thought she was good for you, well until she dumped you and you ended up here.”  
“I guess that’s a good point.” Emily said, her face still a dark shade of pink. “I’m just sorry that I don’t have much memory of that night.”   
“Don’t worry about it babe, lets just enjoy it yeah?” JJ replied, an arm around Emily as they walked into the club.   
The club was relatively quiet but that didn’t bother JJ at all as she had sneakily booked a private room for them to go in where each of them would have a lapdance and strip tease by one of Emily’s favourite workers at the club. JJ signed them in and put a blindfold over Emily’s eyes. Emily squeaked a little, unsure as to why she was being blindfolded.   
“JJ not that I’m complaining but why have you blindfolded me?” Emily asked, gripping onto her girlfriend to make sure she didn’t fall over or walk into anything.  
“All will be revealed in time baby.” JJ replied. “Trust me?”  
“I do trust you, of course I trust you.” Emily said, silently scolding herself for making JJ think she didn’t trust her.  
“Then come with me.” JJ purred in her ear and lead her into the room she had booked for them and sat Emily in one of the chairs.  
Emily couldn’t help but giggle as she was pushed into the chair, she moaned softly as JJ kissed her passionately.  
JJ slapped her hands away as Emily reached up to remove the blindfold from her eyes. “Uh uh.” She purred. “No peeking and if you try and remove the blindfold again before I say you can then I’ll be forced to take...” She paused for effect before she sensually purred in Emily’s ear. “Preventative measures.”  
Emily moaned again, louder this time as she shifted her legs to try and get some friction between her legs. Her mind was already racing with ideas of what JJ had in store for her and just what those preventative measures may be. She was tempted to test the waters and try to remove the blindfold again but decided against it. JJ kissed her again before she moved away from Emily completely, leaving the brunette moaning in her chair.  
JJ walked over to the stereo in the corner of the room and switched it on before plugging her IPod into it and flicking it onto a special playlist she had made for times just like this, albeit in more private situations but she was happy to let the dancer of her lover's choice join them in the preview to the intimate moments she had planned for later on.  
“Mmmm baby, why have you put on our sexy playlist?” Emily asked, almost giving into the temptation to remove her blindfold. The fire between her legs was raging now and it took all of her willpower not to start touching herself to relieve some of the pressure there.   
“All in good time baby, all in good time.” JJ replied, smirking to herself. This was definitely going to be an evening to remember, for more reasons than one. She moved passed Emily in the chair and pulled the door open to let Roxxy in.  
Roxxy slipped into the room and smirked when she saw Emily sat in the chair with the blindfold on. Another thing JJ had done was rung Roxxy to tell her just how she had planned the night out and the fact that Emily was going to be blindfolded when she first came into the room, she’d managed to do this in the time Emily took to take Fia from the car to Hotch’s house and come back, she’d played it off as she was talking to Garcia about meeting her at the restaurant. Roxxy was dressed in nothing more than a blue lace bra and panties with navy heels to complete the look, she slunk over to Emily and bent over her, placing a kiss to her lips, nipping her bottom lip as she did.  
Emily moaned softly before stopping as she realized it wasn’t JJ who was kissing her. She pulled back, a horrified look on her face as the penny dropped and she knew exactly who was kissing her. “Roxxy?” She said, still not lifting the blindfold although she wanted to. “Roxxy you can’t do that, I have a girlfriend.”  
“Relax babe, your girlfriend is right here, we talked about this and she’s fine.” Roxxy purred back, she put her hand up to the blindfold and tugged on it, pulling it off of Emily’s eyes.  
Emily instantly looked round trying to see JJ who was sat in the chair next to her, watching them.   
“See? Why would I lie to you?” Roxxy asked, moving to stand between the two chairs, looking between the two women. “JJ is here, you are here and I am here, nobody is going to be leaving this room and nobody is going to be left out.”  
Emily looked across Roxxy, ignoring the fact that what she was wearing couldn’t be deemed as anything other than underwear, and over to JJ, a look of total confusion on her face.   
“It’s ok baby, we can share Roxxy for now, but later, I get you all to myself.” JJ said simply, running a hand up Roxxy’s leg and cupping her full asscheek in her hand.  
Emily moaned softly and nodded, it wasn’t something she’d have considered herself or even asked JJ about but if she was going to be offered a threesome on a plate then she wasn’t going to turn it down.  
Roxxy smiled at her and turned to JJ, placing a kiss to her lips before turning to Emily and starting to give her a sensual lap dance. Emily sat there a little dumbfounded, she could honestly say this wasn’t the kind of thing she could even imagine she’d be doing today but she was slowly starting to enjoy it. Emily moved her hands up to cup Roxxy’s breasts as she leant over to kiss her for the second time. She moaned as she soft pillows of flesh felt heavy and warm in her hands, they were nothing compared to JJ’s but they provided Emily with enough of a handful to keep her happy.  
JJ was sat watching them, her hands were starting to wonder over her body as she did, travelling up her own legs, under the skirt of her dress and back down, she was purposefully avoiding her slit as is was already dripping and sensitive to the point where JJ knew that the slightest touch was likely to send her over the edge, something she wanted Emily to give her as opposed to her own hand. She stood up and walked over to Emily’s chair, standing behind it and pulling Emily’s head back by her hair, not roughly but with enough force to make her girlfriend gasp and look at her. Emily closed her eyes as JJ kissed her passionately. She moaned into the kiss as she felt Roxxy’s hand move down towards her aching pussy, her back arched into the touch involuntarily and she couldn’t help but break the kiss with JJ and look at Roxxy.   
“Please?” Emily begged, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked into Roxxy’s hazel eye’s her own dark with pure lust for both women.   
Roxxy smirked and shook her head, she moved away and motioned to JJ walk around to stand in front of Emily. JJ obliged and quickly stood between Emily and Roxxy, her normally bright blue eyes darkened with pure lust, matching the look on the other women’s faces. Another searing kiss and JJ pulled Emily’s underwear to one side and plunged her fingers inside of her.  
Emily moaned into the kiss as she felt JJ’s finger’s slide easily inside her, it seemed like such a long time since JJ had touched her in this way and she had almost forgotten what it felt like to have her girlfriend’s fingers buried deep inside her. JJ held her fingers inside Emily as she moaned, relishing the warm wetness she felt there.   
“Jay, please.” Emily moaned, her voice full of want and passion. “Please just fuck me.”  
JJ bit her lip sensually at Emily’s words and she looked over her shoulder to Roxxy who nodded and moved closer to JJ before purring in her ear.  
“Go on JJ, do what I shouldn’t and fuck your girlfriend hard so I can watch you.” Roxxy’s words flowed like silk into JJ’s ear and she moaned softly. “Be a good girl and fuck your girl right and maybe I’ll be nice and fuck you at the same time.”   
That was all JJ needed to start moving her fingers inside of Emily, both women moaning loudly. JJ knew just how Emily liked being fucked and she started slow and sensual, taking the time to tease Emily’s pussy and running her thumb over her clit, at the same time she bit down on Emily’s neck and sucking on it, leaving a hickey behind as she moved her mouth to the other side of Emily’s neck, two fingers moving easily in and out of her.   
Roxxy had moved to sit in the chair that JJ had vacated and was leaning back in it, watching the two women make out and JJ pleasuring her girlfriend was enough to drive Roxxy wild. She moaned loudly as she pulled her panties down and plunged three fingers inside her own pussy, she was dripping wet so took her fingers inside of her easily. Emily looked over to see her fingering herself and she nudged JJ, nodding to Roxxy and both women smirked, coming to an unspoken agreement. Emily whimpered a little as JJ withdrew her fingers, the empty feeling not being one she enjoyed. JJ pulled her up before shoving her down onto her knees in front of Roxxy.   
“Do it baby.” JJ purred and Emily pulled Roxxy’s fingers out of her and replaced them with her own tongue.   
Roxxy moaned and arched her back as Emily’s tongue worked it’s way deep into Roxxy’s pussy, her hand twisted in Emily’s dark locks and she held her against her core, trying to get Emily to push her tongue in deeper.  
JJ leaned over Emily knelt in front of her to kiss Roxxy passionately as she drove three fingers back into Emily’s pussy causing the shorter brunette to moan into Roxxy’s pussy as she did so.  
Roxxy moaned into JJ’s mouth as Emily’s tongue went deeper inside her before pulling out and flicking her tongue over her clit before nibbling on it and sliding three fingers inside her, at the same time JJ added a fourth finger and moved them faster.  
Both brunettes moaned loudly as each of them were pleasured in different ways, Emily felt her pussy clenching around JJ’s fingers as the blonde pushed her closer to the edge, this feeling combined with Roxxy’s moans of encouragement caused her to flick her clit with her tongue more and thrust her fingers inside her harder and faster.  
JJ’s moans got louder and louder as she sensed Emily was almost ready to come undone under her fingers. “Yes baby cum for me.” She moaned, slipping a finger into her asshole as she pounded her pussy harder with her fingers. JJ had learnt a few months ago that Emily loved having a finger in her ass when she was close to cumming as it made it more sensual for her.  
Emily pulled back from licking and sucking at Roxxy’s clit as she cried out, cumming hard around JJ’s fingers, her legs shaking as her body rocked with the orgasm. Seeing her cum sent Roxxy flying over the edge into her own powerful orgasm, crying out with pure bliss. JJ continued to fuck Emily through her orgasm, drawing it out for several minutes until her legs finally gave out from under her and she collapsed face first into Roxxy’s pussy.  
A few moments later JJ pulled her fingers out of Emily and sat on the floor next to her, she shifted her girlfriend a little so she could kiss her passionately. Once she had come down from the high that the orgasm had given her, Emily instantly moved and started to lick JJ’s dripping pussy, moaning at the sweet taste of her girlfriend’s juices. JJ moaned loudly as she was already close to the edge and when Roxxy joined in, tongueing her tight asshole and pinching her nipples it didn’t take long for the blonde to crash into a powerful orgasm of her own.   
All three women lay there panting, each of them entwined in the other two women as they came down from their orgasms. Once they’d calmed down a little more they started to share lazy kisses between the three of them, gentle caresses and touches were swapped between them as well. Each of the women’s skins were extra sensitive and Emily in particular had the ability to touch JJ and make it feel as though she barely was, feather light touches were enough to build JJ’s want up once more and the kisses started to become more passionate.  
Roxxy got up as Emily started to lick JJ’s pussy once again and she moved over to the far wall, pushing a button on the side of it to open up a secret vault, inside there was a wide array of sex toys, whips, paddles and handcuffs in several different colors and sizes. Roxxy smirked as she ran her fingers across the selection of strap ons and vibrators as well as eyeing up one of the whips at her disposal. Each of the private rooms were set out with the same vault and selection of implements for the workers to use on their clients, all of them also had thick, sound proofed walls so nobody outside the rooms could tell what was going on inside of them. Roxxy bit her lip, thinking for a little longer before she selected a large twelve inch purple strap on, a smaller six inch vibrator and having noticed JJ’s casual finger in Emily’s tight asshole a butt plug. She also picked up the whip from its holster before turning back to the couple and cracking it. Both women stopped what they were doing and looked at Roxxy who smirked again before cracking the whip a second time.   
“On your knees you sluts.” Roxxy said, her voice firm and dominant. When neither of the women moved she growled and cracked the whip again. “I said get on your knees, both of you, now.”  
Emily and JJ looked at each and gulped before moving onto their knees, looking up at Roxxy.   
“Did I say you could look at me?” Roxxy snapped, cracking the whip for emphasis. Both women shook their heads and looked down to the floor.  
Roxxy smirked again and nodded, walking around the two women appreciatively. “Very nice ladies, very nice.” She said, running the whip over their backs and asses as she walked.   
Emily moaned at Roxxy’s tone, she was normally the dominant one in the bedroom but the feeling she was getting from being dominated was one that she couldn’t quite describe. Roxxy bent down and spanked Emily’s ass hard, causing her to let out a yelp and Roxxy to laugh at her. “You like that do you slut?” She asked, spanking her ass again.  
“Y-Yes.” Emily said, still looking at the floor.  
“Yes what?” Roxxy spat at her, spanking her harder still and cracking the whip next to her head.  
“Y-Yes Roxxy I do.” Emily stammered, trying not to moan again.   
Roxxy growled and cracked the whip right across Emily’s ass. “That’s not good enough, you will call me ‘Miss’ or ‘Mistress’ both of you, is that understood.”   
Emily whimpered as the whip hit her ass. “Yes Miss, sorry Miss.” She said finally. “I do like being spanked on my ass.”  
“Good, that’s better.” Roxxy said, spanking her ass once more for good effect. “Now stick it up in the air for me and spread your cheeks, I want to get a good look at you.”   
Emily bit back another moan and did as she was told, bending over so that her ass was in the air and she pulled her ass cheeks apart with her hands, giving Roxxy a perfect view of her tight asshole.”  
Roxxy moaned as she saw Emily presenting herself like that, she spanked her harder, her ass now an attractive shade of pink, she ran her hand over Emily’s asscheek before pushing a finger into her ass, trying to loosen it a little, preparing it for the butt plug that was going to sit deep in her ass. She knelt down behind Emily and spat in her asshole, working it deep inside her, ignoring the whimpers that kept falling from her lips. She stood back up to get the butt plug from the table a few feet away before bending down and ramming it hard inside Emily’s asshole. Emily cried out as the toy penetrated her, stretching her tight asshole painfully.   
“Just breathe.” JJ whispered to her. “Breathe through the pain, it’ll go away in a minute baby.”   
Roxxy stood up and moved to stand behind JJ, cracking the whip across her ass this time. “Did I say you could talk?”  
“No Miss, sorry Miss.” JJ said, biting her lip, she loved being submissive to Emily but this was turning into a whole new level of submissive that she hadn’t experienced before.   
“Well then, don’t talk unless you have permission.” Roxxy said simply. “Now bow of you keep your heads down and mouths shut, I’ll be back in a few minutes, if either of your have moved there will be consequences, understood?”   
“Yes Miss.” Emily and JJ said in unison and Roxxy smiled before walking to other side of the room and pulling on the strap on with the large twelve inch dildo attached to it.  
“Jennifer look at me.” Roxxy snapped and JJ’s head snapped up to look at her but her eyeline meant she was staring directly at the dildo attached to Roxxy’s hips. “Suck it.” She commanded and JJ looked at Emily who still had her eyes trained to the floor. Roxxy glared at her and grabbed her head by the hair. “Are you deaf or just stupid? I said suck it.” She spat and JJ’s mouth opened slightly in shock, only to be filled with the tip of Roxxy’s thick cock.  
JJ chocked a little in shock of finding her mouth full of cock but once she got over the initial gag reflex she relaxed and started to suck on the thick dildo. She flicked the tip with her tongue and ran her hand along the entire length of the shaft before taking more of it into her mouth and sucking more, she moaned around it and continued to run her hand along it as she sucked on it. Roxxy moaned loudly as the clit stimulator on the inside of the strap on hit her clit. She wound her hand in JJ’s hair and started to face fuck her a little.  
“Mmm yes Jennifer, such a good little slut aren’t you, do you like my big dick in your mouth?” Roxxy said, looking down at JJ with hooded eyes.   
JJ pulled back a little so that the dildo slid out of her mouth. “Y-Yes Miss, I love your dick.” She moaned before running her tongue along the underside of the dildo to the balls that were hanging at the base of it and taking them into her mouth. She was still giving her a hand job at the same time and moved so that she could look up at her Mistress towering above her.   
“Emily.” Roxxy said and Emily’s head came up to look at her. “Come over here and be a good little cock slut like Jennifer here is, I want both of you to suck my cock.”  
Emily nodded silently and moved to join JJ working Roxxy’s thick cock. She took the tip into her mouth, sucking on it lightly. She was normally the one on the receiving end of this kind of attention but she knew what she was doing when it came to sucking dick. Roxxy looked down at both women, giving her cock plenty of attention. JJ moved back up to lick the underside of the cock before meeting Emily’s lip in a hot kiss with the dildo between them.  
After a few minutes Roxxy pulled back and put a stop to the hot blow job going on. “Mmm that was so good girls, what good little cock sluts you are.” She purred. “Who wants my big, thick, cock in their tight little pussy first?”  
Emily and JJ looked at each other and bit their lips, truth be told they both wanted that big cock inside of them, pounding them hard and fast, stretching their little pussies. The silent conversation that flowed between them was fast and furious as they settled on both laying back and opening themselves up for a fucking by their Mistress and letting her choose which pussy she wanted first.  
“Such good and eager little sluts aren’t you?” Roxxy chuckled as she watched her girls both lie back and open their legs ready for her. She walked over to them both and spanked their pussies simultaneously eliciting moans from both of them, both women were already dripping for her, whether it was from their orgasms before, the blow job they’d just been forced to give her or the situation as a whole she didn’t care, the fact that they were both so willing to and eager to get fucked hard by her was intoxicating.   
Both Emily and JJ were looking up at her, each of them trying to work out what their Mistress was thinking. It was taking all of JJ’s willpower not to start begging as Emily knew she did so often when she was in this situation when it was just the two of them. Emily herself was trying not to start begging, she was fighting with herself not to slip fully into a submissive mindset as that would mean she had relinquished total control and that thought terrified her beyond anything else.   
“P-Please Miss.” JJ finally begged, giving in when the need to be fucked hard became too much for her.  
“You want this?” Roxxy purred, “You want my big cock in your tight little pussy hole like the slut you are?”   
JJ moaned and nodded. “Please Miss I need your cock my pussy.” She begged, desperation starting to take over a little as she felt her pussy dripping with her sweet juices.  
Roxxy smirked and spanked her pussy again before slipping two fingers inside her. “Mmm so wet for your Mistress aren’t you?” She said, feeling JJ’s pussy throbbing around her fingers. “Tell me again just how much you need my big cock inside of you.”  
“So badly, please Miss I’ll do anything to have your big cock inside my tight little pussy, stretching it and filling me up.” She begged, trying to move herself on Roxxy’s fingers.  
“Do you think I should give the little cock slut what she wants?” Roxxy asked Emily, who was squirming herself as she watched the scene in front of her. “Do you think she’s been a good enough slut to get this big cock?” She asked, stroking her cock as she talked.  
“Y-Yes Miss, please I want you to fuck her pussy with your big cock while I watch.” Emily moaned, begging some more for JJ. She was still fighting the urge to slip into the fully submissive mindset.   
Roxxy didn’t reply vocally but she nodded and responded by thrusting her cock into JJ about four inches in. JJ moaned loudly as the cock stretched her insides even with just the four inches, it wasn’t enough and JJ wanted, no needed more. She started to thrust her hips trying to take more and more of the cock into her. Roxxy paused for a moment as she wanted to give JJ time to adjust to the size of the cock in her pussy but as soon as JJ started to thrust upwards she abandoned that plan and pushed her cock in as far as it would go for now, almost eight inches.  
“Please Miss I need more.” JJ husked, her breath coming in short pants now.  
“You need more do you?” Roxxy’s voice sounded like silk once more. “You already have almost eight inches in your tight, hot pussy, do you want the last four?”   
At this point there was no way JJ could have responded verbally, she just whimpered and nodded, almost crying out when she felt Roxxy slide out of her completely.  
“Uh uh uh Jennifer, verbal responses, do you want all twelve inches of my thick cock buried inside you, filling you up and stretching your little pussy?” Roxxy said, that dominant and demanding tone seeping back into her voice.   
“Please Miss fuck me!” JJ cried out. “Fuck my tight little pussy hard with your big cock, stretch my pussy out with all twelve inches of your big, thick cock, please I need it so badly.”   
Roxxy smirked and drove the entire cock into JJ’s pussy, moaning as she felt her cock filling her up. “Yes you fucking little slut, you love this don’t you? You love my fucking cock inside you.”   
“I DO! I DO! I DO!” JJ screamed, her pleasure building exponentially as she was filled and stretched out. “I love your cock, stretching my pussy, it feels so good Miss.”   
At this point Emily was furiously fingering her own pussy, three fingers driving in and out it as her juices started to flow out of her, she was so close to cumming and she was almost convinced that if she wasn’t careful she would do something she’d never managed to do before.  
“Fuck JJ you look so fucking hot with Roxxy’s big cock inside you.” She moaned as she added a fourth finger, desperately trying to hold back her orgasm until JJ could finish her off. “Please Miss let her lick my pussy while you fuck her so hard.” She begged, looking at Roxxy with pleading eyes.  
Roxxy paused for a moment as she considered Emily’s request, both women were right where she wanted them as the dominant person in the room. She pulled herself out of JJ and spanked her pussy with her cock for good measure before the pointed to Emily. “Get over there you little whore and do what she says.” She ordered and JJ didn’t need telling twice, anything to have Roxxy’s big cock back inside of her, pounding her pussy while she got to lick and suck her girlfriend's pussy and bring her to her ultimate climax.  
Emily cried out as JJ buried her face in her pussy, eagerly licking and sucking at it, wanting to bring her to her climax as quickly as she could but also wanting them to cum together.   
Roxxy watched for a split second before she drove the full length of her cock into JJ’s pussy, moaning loudly as her hips smack against JJ’s. She paused to relish the feel of JJ’s tight pussy around her big plastic cock before pulling almost all of the way out and slamming back into her, the sound of their hips smacking together the loudest sound in the room, drowning out Emily’s moans as her climax built quickly.  
“Please Jayje, make me cum for you please.” Emily pleaded, looking down at JJ’s blonde head between her legs. “Please baby I’m so close.”  
Roxxy smirked and leant over JJ to pull Emily into a searing, passionate kiss, their tongues battling for dominance as they kissed. It was Emily who relinquished dominance first, Roxxy taking control of the kiss and swiping her tongue in her mouth before biting down on her lip and drew blood, she pulled back a little before licking the blood off of Emily’s bit and kissing her harder. That alone was Emily’s undoing, she screamed into Roxxy’s mouth as her pussy exploded, shooting hot streams of her girl cum straight down JJ’s throat and JJ eagerly drank every drop of it, she didn’t even pause at the shock of her girlfriend squirting in her mouth for the first time ever. Roxxy broke the kiss and moaned, refocusing her efforts on pounding JJ’s pussy with her big cock, there hips still smacking together as she felt the start of JJ’s orgasm crashing over her. JJ finished licking Emily clean and pulled back moaning loudly as she came hard, she felt her own juices squirting out of her and pulled herself off of Roxxy’s cock and moving quickly so that her juices hit Emily’s pussy and stomach before positioning herself so that their pussies ground together, causing friction on both of their clits and intensifying both women’s orgasms as they rode out the end of them. When they had finished cumming hard and making a mess of the floor where they were, they lay there panting hard and Emily curled herself up in JJ’s arms.  
Roxxy slipped out of the strap on and moved over to the two women lying on the floor totally spent and pulled Emily’s legs up to pull the butt plug out of her ass. Emily moaned softly, not having anything left in her to react more than that.   
“Ok you two, you have another hour in here before closing time, get some sleep and I’ll come and get you.” Roxxy said, bending down to kiss both of them individually. “Thank you for the fun girls, let me know if you want another session at some point.” She purred before walking out and closing the door behind her.   
“Fuck baby.” Emily sighed happily. “That was… Wow.” She said, snuggling into JJ’s side more.  
“Yeah tell me about it.” JJ giggled, pulling Emily in closer to her. “Though I’m not sure we’ll get a chance to do this again any time soon so uh yeah.” She finished lamely, blushing hard as she kissed Emily passionately.  
Emily giggled into the kiss as it dawned on her just what they had done. “Honestly sweetheart I don’t think I want to do this again.” She admitted. “It’s not that I didn’t like it though.” She said quickly. “It’s just…” She trailed off as memories of her past hit her hard and tears started to fall down her cheeks.  
“Oh baby.” JJ said and sat up a little, looking down at Emily with tears in her eyes. “I-I’m so sorry, I should have, I didn’t…” She started babbling, fear gripping her at the thought of upsetting Emily.  
“It’s not your fault sweetheart.” Emily said, sitting up and pulling JJ into a hug. “I hadn’t realized it was going to affect me like this but I wouldn’t change it for the world.” She added, trying to reassure her girlfriend.   
“P-Promise?” JJ asked, she was shaking a little now although she couldn’t say why. “I don’t want to ruin this special night.”   
“No Princess.” Emily said. “This has been the best night of my life. There’s no better way I can think of to spend our six month anniversary than by fulfilling a fantasy I wasn’t even aware I had.”  
JJ blinked a little in surprize. “I-I thought you had forgotten.” She admitted. “With everything that’s been going on the last six weeks I just didn’t think it would be high on the priority list.”  
Emily’s face fell slightly, true things had been hectic since the case and now they had Fia most of Emily’s energy went into looking after her but she couldn’t believe JJ had honestly thought she’d forgotten. “JJ…” She sighed, shifting a little so she could look at her in the eyes. “Baby there is no way I could ever forget what today is. I’m sorry if I’ve seemed a little distracted lately but I promise you, once we have Fia settled and we know more about how to help her things will be much better and we’ll have more time to ourselves.”  
JJ smiled softly and pulled her into a hug. “I didn’t mean it like that Em, I just meant, well you hadn’t said anything about it so I just… I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be, I understand.” Emily reassured her. “Come on let's go home, it’s our first child free night in six weeks and I definitely want an encore of what just happened.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> What 2 chapter updates in one day? What is this madness?? I was on a roll today and so thought I'd share the next chapter with you all!

Chapter 24  
By the time they had made it home the alcohol had well and truly hit Emily and she was all but asleep on the couch. JJ smiled and made them both mugs of her special hot chocolate with Baileys in it and cream and marshmallows on top. She carried them into the den where she had left Emily curled up under a blanket and sat down next to her, she passed Emily her mug of hot chocolate and snuggled up with her. JJ grabbed the remote and flicked the television on before finding a movie on Netflix to sit and watch, one of Emily’s guilty pleasures, Ten things I hate about you was one of JJ’s as well.  
“I’m not sure who I thought was cuter back then, Julia Stiles or Heath Ledger.” JJ sighed, “I think she may have been one of my first lady crushes though.”  
“Really Julia Stiles?” Emily asked. “Or was it just her playing bad girl Kat Stratford that made you want her?” She chuckled. “It was all about Alyssa Milano for me, I could happily sit and watched Charmed for hours.”  
“Well well well, Miss Tough-ass had a crush on Phoebe Halliwell.” JJ teased, nudging Emily in the ribs. “I’d have thought you’d have gone for Prue for sure.”   
Emily pulled a face and shook her head, taking a moment to think and sip her hot chocolate before replying. “I found her annoying, I liked Piper as well though, but mostly because of the whole ability to freeze time and all.” She winked, grinning at JJ.  
It took JJ a moment to understand what she was getting at but when the penny dropped she shook her head and sighed. “Wow babe, that’s so bad.” She chuckled.  
“Hey it’s all about the pleasure factor.” Emily retorted shrugging. “But that was then, this is now, and right now I have everything a woman could want, a beautiful girlfriend, a daughter that loves us both unconditionally, a job a love, good friends.”   
“Well now you are just sucking up to me aren’t you?” JJ said, kissing her softly. “I get it, our first celebrity crushes can’t be held against either of us.”  
Emily kissed her back and yawned a little. “Nope, regardless of who I had a crush on back then, you are my one true love and I’m never going to give you up, not now I’ve got you.”  
JJ smiled and ran her hand up and down Emily’s arm, her fingers ghosting over her skin. “Mmm I like the sound of that.” She said, lazily. “Tell me something though Em?”  
“Hmm?” Emily hummed a little to indicate she was listening.  
“Why the hell did it take us almost five and a half years to admit how we felt about each other?” She asked, realizing that she had indeed been in love with Emily since they first met each other on Emily’s first day at the BAU.  
“Because I was stubborn and didn’t want to let on that I loved you since then?” Emily said after a minute or so of silence. “Because I did you know, I fell for you, hard, the first time our eyes met over the bullpen at Quantico.”  
“You did?” JJ asked, not quite able to believe that they truly had fallen for each other at the same time in most likely the very same moment but didn’t tell each other for so long.   
Emily nodded and looked up at JJ from her lap which was somehow where she had ended up. “Yup, like I said, that first time I looked into your beautiful, blue eyes I knew you were the one for me.”   
“But if that’s the case then why did you spend so long, you know?” JJ said, her jealousy starting to rise as she thought about the string of women that had gotten to be with her beloved Emily before she had.  
“Honestly?” Emily said and JJ nodded. “Honestly there was a few reasons, the big one being I didn’t think you felt the same way and I was scared of being rejected.” She explained, biting her lip as she was looking up at JJ. “There was a time where I thought I would never be where I am today and that thought drove me crazy, didn’t you ever notice that every single one of those women, with the exception of Roxxy, looked all but identical to you?”  
JJ’s mouth fell open as she thought about it, Emily was right, all of the women she had dated or had one night stands with over the last five and a half years had been tall, skinny women with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, just like JJ, she just hadn’t noticed it thanks to her insane jealousy and the pang of hurt in her heart she felt every time she heard about or saw another one of the women. She felt so guilty that she was suddenly angry about the women Emily had been with when each and every one of them had been nothing more than Emily trying to find the next best to JJ when she had thought JJ herself was uninterested in her.  
“Baby I am so sorry.” JJ said, gazing down at Emily with nothing but love in her eyes. “I hadn’t made the connection until you said that, I was so busy being jealous of the women that got to share your bed I didn’t think to pay much attention to what they looked like or who they may represent.”  
“It’s ok Jayje, I felt the same way whenever you spoke about any of the people you dated or spent time with outside of work, I was so jealous of them that I didn’t pay attention to anything else.” Emily reassured her.  
“Wait you were jealous of Garcia when we used to hang out at the bar?” JJ said, disbelief etched onto her face.   
Emily blushed and nodded. “I was, so very jealous of her.” She admitted. “I have no idea why as I’m almost certain that you guys never…” It was JJ’s turn to blush now and her face quickly went scarlet as she shifted her gaze away from Emily’s. “Oh my God you did didn’t you?” Emily chuckled. “You had Garcia pussy before she got with Morgan.” JJ’s face went even darker as she nodded. “Well dayum, what was it like?” She asked, sitting upright and looking at JJ.  
“It was… Well it was nice.” JJ said, thinking back to the few months she and Garcia had indeed been sleeping together. “She was sweet but not like you.”   
“Sweet?” Emily cocked her eyebrow as she looked at her girlfriend. “What do you mean sweet?”  
JJ giggled and shook her head a little. “I mean her pussy tasted like cotton candy.” She said, subconsciously licking her lips as she thought about it.  
“Cotton candy?” Emily scoffed a little. “Why am I not surprised?” She giggled, of course Garcia’s pussy would be sweet, everything about that woman screamed cavities and diabetes but that was why everyone on the team loved her.  
“Wishing you got the chance to taste?” JJ smirked, she couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “I’m sure if we ask Morgan nicely he would be happy to loan her to us for the night.”  
It was Emily’s turn to go scarlet now. “I uh, well I mean, I just…” She babbled, suddenly feeling like a fish out of water. She cleared her throat and shook her head before she continued. “Ahem, when did you get so damn kinky?” She asked, both brows almost disappearing into her fringe. She wasn’t complaining, it was interesting finding out more about JJ and her past, it was like Christmas or her birthday, every new thing she discovered about her girlfriend was like unwrapping a present, she never knew what she’d find.  
“I guess I always have been in that way.” JJ said after a few minutes. “It’s just kind of never come up in conversation as I didn’t want to scare you off.”   
“What makes you think talking about threesomes and things like that would scare me off?” Emily questioned. “It’s not like I don’t have my kinks as well, we can share things like that now.”  
JJ nodded. “I guess so.” She said thoughtfully. “Hey I have an idea, why don’t we both make a list of kinks and fantasies we have and we can share them and maybe work our way down each list and then we can try new things and tick them off our lists as we go?”  
“That’s an idea I can get behind.” Emily said, all thoughts of sleep and the movie long forgotten. “Why didn’t we think of this before?” She asked, shocked that she hadn’t been the one to come up with the idea in the first place. “Even if it’s kinks or fantasies we’ve done before, we can put them down as ideas of things we can do together.”   
“Then let’s do it.” JJ grinned, discarding her now empty mug of hot chocolate and jumping up. “I’ll find notepads and pens and you get a bottle of wine and two glasses?” Emily nodded eagerly and jumped up as well, placing a chaste kiss to her girlfriends lips before they each bounded off to get the things they’d need.  
Five minutes later they were settled back on the couch, each with a glass of wine in hand and notepads resting on their knees.   
“Ok so, give it half hour and we start swapping?” JJ said.  
“Yep that sounds good to me, though by the end of this we may need more than just one bottle of wine.” Emily replied, sipping her glass of wine.  
JJ chuckled and took a sip of her own wine, she wished she could snuggle up Emily while they made their lists but they agreed that they didn’t want the other seeing until they were ready and their lists were done.  
They sat in a comfortable silence as they worked on their lists, the only noises were that of the movie still playing on the television, the scratching of pens on paper and the clinking of glass against their teeth as they wrote.   
“How are you doing with your list babe?” JJ asked, ten minutes after they started.  
“Not bad.” Emily said thoughtfully as she crossed something out. “Though I think I keep changing my mind the more time I have to think about it.” She admitted.   
“Well keep everything on the list and when we share them you can cross them off if you really don’t like the idea.” JJ replied, sighing and ripping the page out of her notepad, she’d been doing the same and there was so much crossed out it was starting to look messy.  
“Ok guess I’ll have to start over.” Emily sighed, ripping the page out of her own notepad and screwing it up, throwing it at the bin in the corner of the room and failing. “Ugh god dammit I’m not moving.” She said, rolling her eyes and staring down the fresh page in front of her.   
JJ chuckled and shook her head. “Forget it, we can pick up the mess later.” She said, and by ‘later’ she meant most likely tomorrow morning in the time between them getting up and Hotch dropping Fia back home. “It’s not like I hit the bin either.” She added pointing the ball of paper on the floor by her feet.  
“You didn’t even try to hit the bin missy.” Emily said, reaching over and prodding JJ in the stomach making the younger woman giggle. “You just dropped it, I saw you.”  
JJ blushed a little and took the chance with Emily being leant over to her to kiss her quickly before pushing her back and sticking her tongue out at her. Emily moaned softly and pouted when she was pushed back to her end of the couch. If JJ wanted to pause their list making for a mini make out session then Emily would be only too happy to do that but the look on JJ’s face when she bit her lip seductively firmly said ‘we’ll have plenty of time for that later’ made her clench her thighs together and try to refocus.  
Another twenty minutes and another half bottle of wine later and the two of them were satisfied with the lists they had made, either that or they were just on the verge of being drunk again after sobering up a little. Emily stood up and stretched her back before settling herself down next to JJ, snuggling into her side happily.  
“Ok who wants to go first?” Emily said, glancing down her rather long list of things she had on her piece of paper.  
JJ looked down her own, equally long list of ideas and bit her lip, she was hoping that with all the things on her list Emily wasn’t going to run screaming for the hills.  
“You can go first babe.” JJ said, she was now starting to regret suggesting this and was obviously nervous about how the next few hours were going to pan out.  
“Ok but first, more wine.” Emily replied, picking up the bottle and pouring them each another glass. Both women took a sizeable mouthfull of their drinks before Emily cleared her throat nervously. “The first one on my list is one you know about but we haven’t really explored it much.” She started, biting her lip. “Anal.”  
JJ nodded. “Okay well yeah we can definitely explore that more together.” She said. “Oh one thing I didn’t think to ask before we started, are we going to add explanations or discuss each of the things on the list as we go?”   
“Oh I guess I hadn’t thought about that.” Emily admitted. “Thought I think it may be a good idea to discuss it as we go but we can go into more details when we make plans to tick them off of our lists.”   
“That works for me, I think some of them will need explaining and or discussing but some of mine are simple and basically what they say on the tin.” JJ replied. “So do you want to talk more about your desire to explore anal sex more or shall we move on for now?”  
“Let’s move on, I think that’s one of those things that falls into the category of ‘we can talk more about it when we plan to do it’ so we don’t need to worry for now.” Emily said. “So what’s the first one on your list?”  
JJ blushed and bit her lip, looking at the first thing on her list, it was technically something that had already done but she had enjoyed it immensely and wanted to consider adding it into their bedroom activities more often. “I-I umm.” She started, ducking her head to avoid looking at Emily for a minute. “I really liked it when Roxxy was dominant over me.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper as she held her breath waiting for Emily to say something.  
“So you want to have a dom and sub element in our relationship?” Emily asked, not judging just wanting a little more clarification on what JJ wanted.  
“Y-Yes I do.” JJ said finally, daring to glance up at Emily, trying to gauge her reaction. “Maybe not all the time, you know what with having Fia around and work and stuff but in the bedroom maybe?” She added, still nervous that Emily would be mad at her.  
“Well we can do that for sure.” Emily said, smiling. “In fact that was one of the things on my list as well but maybe if we talk to Roxxy she can give us some pointers on good ways to do it?” She asked, not sure how JJ was going to react to the idea of perhaps inviting Roxxy into their relationship, even if it was only on a business type deal.  
“Em I don’t want Roxxy in our relationship.” JJ said, her jealousy rising again. “Like I didn’t mind it tonight but I don’t like sharing you.”   
“No Jayje you misunderstood what I meant, I’m not suggesting we have her in our relationship, I’m suggesting we talk to her about the safest way to have that dom and sub element in our relationship without it negatively impacting it.” Emily said, trying to soothe JJ’s fears. “I don’t want to share you either, you are mine and mine alone. As I am yours.”   
“Oh I’m sorry Em, I thought you meant, well never mind because you didn’t.” JJ said, kissing the top of Emily’s head.  
“It’s fine darling, we can put a pin in that one and we can come back to it, talk about it more when we’re more sober.” Emily said, snuggling into JJ more.   
“Ok moving on.” JJ said, smiling down at Emily. “What’s next on your list?”   
“This one stems from two things, one being what happened tonight and the other being the conversation we were having that sparked this whole thing.” Emily said, looking up at JJ who nodded encouragingly for her to continue. “I want to have another threesome, or maybe more than one threesome.” She admitted, biting her lip. “Maybe with Garcia if we ask her and Morgan about it or maybe with a total stranger.”  
JJ paused for a moment, carefully considering her next words and how to voice what she was thinking out loud. “I think we can look into that.” She said finally. “I will admit I’m nervous about it, especially if it’s a stranger but I trust you.”  
“Ok well in that case I definitely think we should ask Morgan and Garcia first.” Emily said, understanding why JJ was nervous about it. “If they don’t agree we can re-think that one and maybe not do that.” She added, smiling up at JJ.  
“Ok so I guess it’s my turn next huh?” JJ said, glancing at her list again. Emily nodded and JJ smiled. “Well this next one is a little risky but that’s part of the appeal for me.” She started, looking down at Emily who looked curiously back at her. “Sex at work, or more specifically, bending you over the desk in my old office and fucking your brains out.”   
Emily’s eyes went wide for a second before they glazed over as she imagined that fantasy being played out. “But if we get caught?” She said, slowly coming back to her senses. “JJ we could lose our jobs.”  
“That is true but.” JJ replied, smirking. “I have thought this one through a little and all we need to do is get Garcia to work her magic and loop the CCTV footage and give us a sign to put on the door so nobody disturbs us.”   
“You have thought this one through haven’t you baby?” Emily said, nodding, she was impressed by how much thought JJ had already put into this. “How long have you been thinking of this?”   
“Oh just you know, the last five years.” JJ said, casually waving her hand. “I’ve even told Garcia about it and she’s all for covering for us.”   
Emily’s mouth fell open and her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she pictured JJ and Garcia discussing this at length as she knew they would have done. “You told Garcia about this?” She asked, her voice squeaking a little as she spoke.   
“Well not in the sense of me and you, more in the vague, hypothetical sense of wanting to do it at some point.” JJ lied quickly, realizing just how mortified Emily was likely to be if she knew the truth. “I think at that point in time Garcia was hoping to live dangerously through me as we were both single.”   
Emily breathed a sigh of relief and giggled. “Oh well that makes me feel better, I don’t think I’d be able to look Garcia in the eye again if she knew it was about me in any way. Which seems kind of redundant now as we want to ask her about having a threesome with her.” She said, a grin cracking across her face.  
“Yeah, I swear you have your terms of what causes you embarrassment backwards.” JJ teased, tickling her and Emily giggled. “Seriously though Em, have you never had sexy conversations with your friends over a bottle of wine?”   
“Until I met you guys the majority of my friends were diplomats and the children of my Mother’s political associates.” Emily reminded her. “So no, I’ve never had those types of conversations with anyone, hell my Mother didn’t even give me the ‘sex talk’ until it was too late.”  
“You didn’t have the ‘sex talk’ until after you got pregnant?” JJ said in total disbelief. “Yeah you are kidding me right?”  
“I wish.” Emily groaned. “I can tell you now, asking my Au Pair about periods was not fun.” She sighed. “Either way, my Mother decided that after I got pregnant and had the baby was when she was going to sit down with me and tell me all about sex and how to stay safe. I guess it wasn’t high on her priority list.”  
“I can’t believe you had to do the period thing alone.” JJ shook her head, their lists discarded as JJ pulled Emily in closer. “I had no idea you had such a bad upbringing.”  
Emily snuggled into her girlfriend more and sighed. “It wasn’t bad it was just parentless the majority of the time.” She said. “After Father left when I about three I think it was, it was just me and Mother for a while but then she started getting more and more international posts and being busy all the time so she hired an Au Pair to look after me in whatever country we were living in at the time.”  
“It must have been lonely.” JJ said, she couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Emily, she had her older sister growing up so there was two of them and they always had someone to spend time with, until Andrea had committed suicide when JJ was eleven. “I mean I had my sister for the first eleven years, so I had someone that would play with me and stuff.”  
“Yeah it did get lonely sometimes, I mean like I said I had the other Ambassador’s kids to play with but I mostly saw them at dinner and dances were playing was frowned upon, we had to be on our beast behaviour, so I guess it was no wonder I ended up being such a rebel when I hit my teen years.” Emily grinned. She didn’t want to talk too much about JJ’s sister as she knew it upset JJ a lot, it had been hard for her to come to terms with what her sister had done and even now when she hit a low point Emily could find her drowning herself in a bottle of hard liquor and ranting at thin air.  
“I really am sorry sweetheart.” JJ said and she meant it. “But hey just think you have us now, and me, you’ll never be alone again.”  
“I know that love but there’s a big difference between being alone and being lonely.” Emily sighed. “It’s not that I don’t love all of you but sometimes even in a room full of people it feels like I’m the only one in it.” She was trying desperately not to cry now, although she wasn’t even sure why she wanted to cry in the first place.  
JJ sensed her upset and pulled her in as close as she could, cradling her in her arms and rocking her gently. Emily buried her face in JJ’s chest and sobbed. She couldn’t have told JJ why she had suddenly started crying but she was glad to have her there to hold her.   
“I think we should get you to bed baby girl.” JJ said soothingly. “It’s been an emotional day and I think the alcohol is started to hit you.”  
Emily simply nodded and clung to JJ as the taller of the two women scooped her up and carried her up to the bedroom. She lay Emily on the left side of the bed, the side Emily always slept on and walked around to the other side before climbing in and snuggling up next to her, being the big spoon to Emily’s little spoon.  
“I love you Em.” JJ whispered softly in her ear, placing a soft kiss to her neck just below it.  
“I love you too Jayje.” Emily mumbled back, already half asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N 
> 
> So this is just a short filler chapter but look out for some other familiar faces in the next chapter

Chapter 25  
Both women slept peacefully all night and woke up the next morning feeling much better than they had when they’d gone to bed. JJ for one had to admit that despite the unconventional nature of their conversation last night into the early hours of the morning made her feel closer to Emily than ever before. JJ had woken up first that morning and smiled as she watched Emily sleep, Emily was sprawled across her side of the bed, on her stomach with her face covered by her hair. JJ chuckled and shook her head fondly as she brushed the hair out of Emily’s face to find her girlfriend smiling in her sleep about something that JJ guessed she may never find out.  
“Stop staring at me.” Emily mumbled, still half asleep and refusing to open her eyes.  
JJ’s eyes went wide and she coughed as she shifted her gaze to somewhere other than Emily’s face. Emily’s smiled grew wider as she sensed JJ’s panic and cracked one eye open.  
“Morning baby.” She said, her voice still thick with sleep as she spoke.  
“Good morning beautiful.” JJ replied, lying back down next to her and snuggling into her. “Did you sleep ok?”  
“I always do when you sleep next to me.” Emily said, rolling over and burying her face in JJ’s chest. JJ kissed the top of her head and sighed happily.  
“Can we just like, lie here for a bit together?” JJ said, her desire to move evaporating almost as quickly as she had felt it.  
“Well I have no need to get up at all, Fia isn’t due home until…” She paused as she glanced up at the clock. “Well a good few hours so what do you wanna do?”  
“Well there’s a few things I can think of that we can do without our daughter around.” JJ chuckled and leant over to kiss Emily passionately.  
Emily moaned into the kiss as she pulled JJ over to be on top of her, deepening the kiss as she did so.  
“Now this is more like it.” Emily mumbled into the kiss as they continued kissing, hands running all over each others bodies. She ran her hands up JJ’s sides, cupping the underside of her breast as she did so. JJ moaned in response and drove her tongue deeper into Emily’s mouth.  
Just as things were really starting to get hot and heavy, Emily’s mobile rang. Emily broke the kiss and groaned as she did so.  
“Just ignore it Em, whoever it is they can leave a message.” JJ said, pulling her in for another kiss.  
Emily nodded and kissed her back passionately, resuming her exploration of JJ’s body with her hands as she did so. The renewed make out session lasted a whole five minutes before the house phone started ringing. JJ nipped Emily’s lip in warning and Emily shook her head, ignoring the incessant ringing until the answering machine kicked in and Morgan’s voice yelled out over the speaker.  
“Dammit Prentiss! Get off JJ and answer the fucking phone will you.” Emily looked to JJ who nodded and she rolled over and stabbed the ‘answer’ button on the handset before spitting into it.  
“What?” She asked, not even bothering to say hello.

“Well good morning to you too Emily.” Morgan replied, the smirk on his face evident even on the other end of the line.  
“Seriously Derek what do you want?” Emily asked, not in the mood for him to mess her around this morning.  
“We uh, hit a break in the Greengrass case.” Morgan said, his voice changing to prove his was now all business.  
“Ok two things, one, you are currently on speaker so don’t forget that and two you are so fucking lucky that Fia slept over at Hotch’s last night with Jack.” Emily replied, still unimpressed with the early morning call.  
“I know Fia stayed at Hotch’s last night, I rang him first and he told me that he wouldn’t talk about it because Fia was there and awake.” Morgan sighed. “He told me to call you and tell you both to meet him in the office in half hour, Fia is going to stay with Jack and Jessica while you guys are busy.”  
Both women looked at each other, shock written all over their faces as they processed the information.  
“Well that’s it, I guess our holiday is over.” JJ said, shaking her head. “Thanks Morgan, will we be seeing you and Rossi as well or are you guys still in Kentucky?”  
“Nah we’re about done here, Rossi is just interrogating this guy but by the looks of him he’ll be singing like a canary within the next ten minutes or so, give it a hour and we’ll be done here, then another two hours and we’ll be back in Virginia with you, helping you track down this son of a bitch.” Morgan replied. “And on that note, the singing has begun! Gotta go, see you in a few hours.”  
The line went dead and Emily groaned again. “And here was me thinking that we’d be able to spend a nice morning in bed together.”  
JJ chuckled and shook her head, kissing Emily again. “Well as much as I love that idea babe, catching the son of a bitch that hurt our baby girl is way more important.” She said, slipping out of bed and stretching. “Come on babe, you heard Morgan, Hotch wants us in the office in half an hour.”


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“Okay Hotch we’re here, what do we know?” Emily said, not bothering to knock as the two women walked into Hotch’s office.  
“Well, it looks like our Mr Greengrass just made a titanic mistake.” Hotch said, shuffling the papers from the file in his hands to look at the next page.  
“What kind of mistake?” JJ asked, looking at Hotch curiously.  
“Well, it looks like Greengrass murdered a Navy wife in Shenandoah park.” Hotch replied, looking over the file before standing up and walking around to the other side of his desk. “Either way I’ve had a call from an NCIS Agent Gibbs, he wants everything we have on Greengrass and soon.”  
“Gibbs? I’ve heard of him.” Emily cut in. “Hotch if anyone can help us track this guy down it’s him and the rest of his team over at NCIS.”  
“Well that’s a good thing because I’ve told him that you and JJ will be there within the next hour to brief him.” Hotch instructed. “I told him that you were the best ones to liaise on this case because of your inside knowledge of how he works.”  
The color instantly drained from Emily’s face and her legs gave out from under her, luckily there was a chair just behind her that she collapsed into. JJ’s face contorted a little as she attempted to control the anger and sheer shock that Hotch would agree to send them in.  
“Hotch you can’t do that.” The taller of the women said. “Can you not see what the thought of having to relive that time is doing to Emily?”  
Hotch sighed and rubbed the bridge of his temple as he closed his eyes. “JJ my hands are tied, if there was any way around this then believe me I’d use them but there isn’t so you are going to have to suck it up and deal with it.” He understood why JJ was angry with him but at the end of the day he was the boss and he had to make that call. “Emily, I know you are more than capable of handling this, even more so with JJ by your side.”

Emily looked up at Hotch and nodded determinately. “Yeah I’ll be ok Hotch.” She agreed, turning to JJ and smiling up at her. “Thank you for sticking up for me babe but this is something I have to do and Hotch is right, you will be there with me every step of the way.” She reassured her.  
JJ bit her lip but seeing the look on Emily’s face nodded back. “Ok, yeah ok, let’s go do this so we can catch this bastard and put all this behind us.” She said, feeding off of Emily’s strength.  
“I’m not sure if Morgan relayed this to you but Fia is going into protective custody with me and Jack until Greengrass is behind bars, the theory is he figured out what happened and is now trying to get to Fia to finish what he started.” Hotch said, causing both women to pale this time at the thought of them losing their baby to that monster.  
“He said that she was staying with Jack and Jessica while we were busy in the office but nothing about protective custody.” JJ replied, her voice shaking as she did so. “Hotch do you honestly think he is after our baby girl?”  
“We can’t be sure of that until we have him in custody and can ask him.” Hotch said. “Gibbs has lead on the current case, you guys are simply going in as liaison and to give him and the team as much information as you can to help them track Greengrass down and bring him in alive.”  
“Understood Sir.” Emily said, burying her emotions and fear that was threatening to overcloud her judgment. “Hopefully we can help them solve this case quickly and bring him in for questioning.”  
“Excuse us for a minute please Hotch.” JJ said and pulled Emily up and steered her out of Hotch’s office, closing the door behind them. “Emily are you sure you can do this?” She asked.  
“I-I have to be.” Emily replied, tears pricking her eyes as she spoke. “I have to be ok for Fia, for our baby.”  
JJ pulled her into a hug and Emily began sobbing in her arms. She was scared and desperate to keep their daughter safe, she was determined to do whatever was needed to make sure that Greengrass wasn’t going to be able to hurt anyone else let alone their baby girl.  
“I’m so proud of you.” JJ whispered into Emily’s hair.  
“Why? I’ve done nothing to be proud of.” Emily whispered back, not looking up at her.  
“Oh but you have.” JJ said, “You have done so much to be proud of, you are the best girlfriend and mother ever and you are being so strong to say that you are happy to go over to the Navy yard, meet with Gibbs, whoever he is and relive the pain you went through when you were his prisoner. How is that nothing to be proud of?”

“I guess you have a point.” Emily said, sniffing a little as the tears subsided. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”  
“In that case it’s a good job you have me here to remind you of that isn’t it?” JJ said, putting a hand under Emily’s chin and gently tilting her head so that bright blue eyes met dark brown ones. “I love you Em, so much and there is nothing you can do right now that can make me not proud of you.”  
Emily smiled softly, her eyes still a little watery as she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed her. “I love you too JJ, more than words can describe and I need you right now, more than I’ve possibly ever needed you before and I don’t know how to cope with that information.” She admitted. “It scares me that I am a point in my life where I need someone and I have someone there to be needed.”  
It was JJ’s turned to tear up now, she knew that the words Emily were saying were heartfelt and truthful, but she also knew just how hard it was for Emily to admit that she needed help and that it scared her that she did.  
Hotch opened the door and cleared his throat, alerting the two women that they were no longer alone and therefore it was no longer a private conversation.  
“Both of you should be proud of yourselves and each other, I most certainly am.” He said, smiling fondly at them. “Both of you have come so far since you started here at the BAU and that in itself is something to be proud of.”  
“Thank you Hotch.” Both women said in unison.  
“Now I hate to break up this heartwarming moment but Gibbs’s is waiting for you.” Hotch said, nodding to the clock on the wall.  
“Do you want us back here after we’ve spoken to Gibbs?” JJ asked.  
Hotch shook his head and smiled at them. “Not a chance, technically you are both still on leave and I have a feeling that once you’ve spoken to him all either of you are going to want to do is go home and be together, whether you sleep, or go for food or anything just go and be together and I’ll call you later with details of how and when you will be able to see Fia as she’s still going to need her Moms.”  
“Thank you.” Emily said, looking over at Hotch. “I mean it, thank you for keeping our baby safe.” JJ nodded in agreement and Hotch just held his hand up and shook his head.  
“No need to thank me, I’m doing what I need to do to keep our family safe and that includes doing whatever I can to keep Fia out of harm's way.” He promised. “Now go both of you, I’ll check in with you later ok?”  
“You’ve got it Hotch, talk to you later.” JJ said, taking Emily’s hand and squeezing it gently. “Come on Em, let’s head out, the quicker we get this done the sooner we can back home and just relax for a bit.”  
“Yeah, I just want this done.” Emily agreed. “The less time I have to think about what happened the happier I’ll be and the more I can help Fia move passed it as well.”  
Hotch nodded and ushered them towards the elevator and they took the hint and stepped into it, hand in hand with each

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo NCIS are now involved in the case and trying to catch Greengrass!! 
> 
> This is NOT where I had planned for this to go but plot twists are a thing and this is just one of them apparently!
> 
> There's more of Abby and Ziva in the upcoming chapters! 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think and if you have any ideas or suggestions.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A short drive later and they arrived at the Navy Yard, Emily was the first one to step out of the car, her breath catching in her chest as she looked up at the building looming in front of her. JJ got out after her and locked the car, walking around the car and took Emily’s hand again, squeezing it comfortingly as they walking into the building.   
Thankfully they didn’t have to spend ages getting passed security as they had their badges on them from being at Quantico, the only thing they had to do was check their guns in and leave them at the security desk while they were there, something neither woman minded at all.  
Emily took a deep breath as they stepped out of the elevator into the bullpen where they had been told they would be able to find Agent Gibbs, she plastered a slightly fake smile on her face as they walked over to the cluster of desks in the middle of the room and approached a slightly shorter dark haired women with tanned skin.  
“Hello, I’m Agent Emily Prentiss and this is Agent Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau.” Emily said, smiling at the women sat behind her desk and held her hand out. “We are here to see Agent Gibbs?”  
The other women looked up and smiled back, taking Emily’s hand and shaking it. “I’m Officer Ziva David, Mossad Liaison Officer at NCIS, I’m afraid Agents Gibbs is down in Autopsy at the moment but if you’d like to take a seat he should be back soon.” She said, pointing to two chairs sat in front of the desk next to hers. “Can I get either of you a coffee?”  
“I’d love one, milk two sugars please.” JJ said, sitting herself down in one of the chairs.  
“Uh can I just get a glass of water please?” Emily said, the nerves kicking in again.   
Ziva nodded and left them to make themselves comfortable. She returned a few minutes later carrying a mug of coffee and a glass of water, she put both drinks down in front of them before returning to her desk.   
“So it is you two that are going to help us track this man down yes?” Ziva said, rather matter of factly.   
“Well I hope we can be of assistance yes.” JJ said, sliding a hand over to Emily’s knee and squeezing it, hoping that Emily would relax a little.   
“Oh so you are together yes?” Ziva asked, noticing the slight movement.   
Emily and JJ looked at each other before looking back at Ziva and nodded slowly, nervously waiting for her response.  
“Well just wait until you meet my beloved.” Ziva smiled. “Abby is beautiful, maybe we can double sometime?”  
“Abby? As in Abby Sciuto the Forensic Scientist?” Emily said, looking over at Ziva who nodded. “Wow, in that case I have to say that you are a very lucky woman.” She complimented.  
JJ shot her a look and Emily blushed a little. “Are you talking from experience darling?” JJ asked.  
“No baby, but from what I’ve heard of her she is incredibly smart and beautiful.” Emily promised.   
“So she’s the NCIS version of Garcia?” JJ said, searching Emily’s face for any sign of lies and found none.  
“Your Garcia she is a goth?” Ziva asked, looking curiously between them.  
“No she’s far from it, however she is smart and beautiful.” JJ said. “Here, I’ve got pictures of us when we went out as a group one evening.” She added, pulling her mobile out and bringing up one of the pictures of her, Emily and Garcia.  
“Well I must say she is indeed beautiful I agree.” Ziva said, pulling her own mobile out and bringing up a picture of herself and Abby. “This is my beloved.  
“Holy…” Emily and JJ said in unison. Ziva just smirked and stuck her phone back in her pocket.  
“I hope you are busy working Officer David.” A grey haired man said as he stalked into the bullpen.  
“Yes boss, I was simply talking to our guests and making sure they had everything they needed to be comfortable.” Ziva replied, nodding at Emily and JJ.  
“Agent Gibbs, I’m assuming you are the Agent’s sent over from the BAU.” Gibbs said, holding his hand out to them to shake.  
“Yes Sir, I am Agent Emily Prentiss and this is my colleague Agent Jennifer Jareau.” Emily said, standing up and shaking his hand.  
“Oh please call me JJ.” JJ said also standing up and shaking his hand.  
“Appreciate you coming out here to assist us with this.” Gibbs responded. “We’ve been trying to track this son of a bitch down for the last two days.”

“We’ve been after him for months so trust me, if you guys can catch him we’ll be only too happy, we just want him alive and able to answer our questions.” Emily replied, suddenly all business as she switched into Agent mode.  
“How much has Agent Hotchner told you about our investigation?” JJ added, not wanting to say more than Emily may be comfortable with.  
“Honestly not a whole lot, I’m aware of his past crimes and therefore the BAU’s interest in him but other than that there’s not much I can tell you, apart from obviously the facts of our current case that leads us to believe it’s the guy you are after.” Gibbs said.  
“Ok so where do you want us to start?” Emily asked, fully prepared for Gibbs to request everything from day one.   
“Well let’s start with where this bastard started out.” Gibbs said.  
“Well we started tracking him in Pensacola.” Emily said. “We tracked him to his house but he abducted me and knocked JJ out, when the team found me he’d already escaped.”   
Gibbs sat listening and making notes as Emily told him about what he’d subjected her to in the three days she’d been held captive by him, she told him about Fia, about how they had now adopted her and that they believed there was a chance she was his intended target so she was currently in protective custody. He listened closely as she talked herself into silence, running out of things to say about him.   
“Ok that has been incredibly helpful, we can use this information to update the bolo and that’s a good start.” Gibbs said after a few moments, finishing his notes and putting the pen down again.   
“Thank you, here’s my card with both of our numbers and my home number on it, please Gibbs if you need any more information or have any more information that may help just call us.” Emily said, handing over a card with her home number scribbled on the back of it. Gibbs took it and nodded, tucking it into the file along with the notes he’d made.  
“Thank you ladies and I’ll be sure to keep you and Agent Hotchner updated with any new breaks in the case and please believe me, when we bring this son of a bitch in, and we will, your team are more than welcome to come and have the first crack at him in interrogation.” Hotch said standing up.  
“And please, we should meet up outside of the case and perhaps go on that double date?” Ziva piped up, ignoring the glare from Gibbs.  
Emily and JJ both nodded and scribbled their numbers down on a piece of paper and passed it over to Ziva.  
“We like the sound of that, Abby sounds like a great woman, I may not be able to speak for Emily but I am definitely looking forward to meeting her.” JJ said, holding her hand out to Ziva who ignored it and pulled her into a hug.  
JJ was a little shocked when Ziva hugged her but gladly hugged her back when she did so.   
“Of course, I will talk to my beloved and then we will meet up for dinner.” Ziva replied, moving to hug Emily as well who also hugged her back.  
“Sounds like a plan.” Emily said, smiling as she pulled back from the hug. “But for now I need to go home, relax and have a nap.”   
“Come on babe, let’s get you home then.” JJ said, leading Emily towards the elevator.  
By the time they had made it back home Emily was already snoring softly in the passenger seat of the SUV. Not wanting to wake her up, JJ got out of the drivers side of the car and ran to unlock the front door before coming back and pulling open the passenger side, unclipping Emily’s belt and scooping her up and cradling her as she carried her inside. They made it as far as the couch in the den and JJ lay her down on it and found a blanket to cover her over with. While Emily was napping JJ went up stairs and tidied the bedroom and cleaned their en-suite before doing the same for Fia’s nursery and bathroom. Three hours later and Emily still wasn’t awake so JJ went down to check on her quickly before starting work on cleaning the kitchen. Once she was done cleaning she checked the clock and saw it was almost 2pm, she made both her and Emily a mug of coffee and a sandwich each before putting everything on a tray and taking it into the den and placing the tray gently on the floor so as not to spill anything before she tried to wake Emily.  
“Em? Baby?” JJ said softly, shaking her to try and wake her. “Emily I’ve made lunch.”  
“Hmm?” Emily said sleepily, stirring a little but not fully waking up.  
“I’ve made you a sandwich and coffee.” JJ said, brushing the hair out of Emily’s face and stroking her cheek. “Come on sweetheart you’ve been asleep for almost four hours now.”   
“I have?” Emily mumbled, still not totally awake but more awake than not. “Time is it?”  
“Yeah babe, it’s 2pm already, we left the Navy Yard a little before 10am and you were asleep before we hit the main road.” JJ said softly. “It’s ok though you needed it, you had a rough night last night and we woke up a little early, I think our body clocks forgot that we didn’t have Fia to worry about.”   
“Oh I hadn’t meant to sleep that long.” Emily said, slowly sitting up. “I’m sorry darling.”  
“It’s ok, I got some chores done.” JJ shrugged, picking the tray up and sitting down on the couch next to Emily. “I did both our bedroom and Fia’s Nursery, both bathrooms and the kitchen before I made food and came to wake you up so it wasn’t wasted time.”  
“You are a star.” Emily smiled and kissed JJ softly. “Thank you baby.” She took a sip of coffee and sighed happily. “Mmm coffee.”  
JJ chuckled and took a sip of her own coffee. “I swear sometimes there’s more caffeine in your system than there is blood.” She teased and Emily stuck her tongue out at her.  
“That’s just mean.” Emily pouted.  
“Maybe but it’s also true.” JJ retorted, prodding Emily in the side and making her squeal.  
Both women fell into silence as they ate, neither of them knowing what to say to the other as the reality of the situation properly sunk in. There was chance that this maniac was after their little girl and it was eating both of them up inside.  
“I can’t stand this!” JJ said after a while. “I hate it that we can’t do anything to help protect our baby and that she can’t even live with us at the moment because some sick bastard may or may not be out to get her! I hate it Em! I hate it!” 

Emily was a little shocked by JJ’s sudden and unexpected outburst but soon she understood just what JJ was angry about and found herself not only agreeing with her girlfriend but also feeling her own anger rise. The situation they were in seemed to be getting more and more hopeless as time went on and it was frustrating. Emily was worried that if Fia had any inkling of what was going on she may regress bath further and while that wasn’t a problem for Emily and JJ, she was concerned about the psychological effect it would have one Fia long term. That was something else they needed to think about, how they were going to be able to get Fia the help she needed while she was in protective custody. Emily saw the tears that were now falling down her girlfriend’s face and she abandoned her sandwich and pulled her into a hug.  
“I know baby, it’s hard but I have faith that Gibbs and the team at NCIS will catch him.” Emily said, trying to soothe JJ as well as convince herself of the truth behind her words. “And besides Hotch has already said we can still see her, it’ll just have to be in a controlled environment like at Quantico is all.”  
JJ sniffed a little and nodded, still not happy or calm but trusting Emily and what she was saying. “I’m sorry Em, it’s just…” She started but was stopped by a fresh wave of tears that fell down her cheeks.   
“I know baby, I know.” Emily said, holding JJ close and rubbing her back to try and soothe her. “But I’m here ok? I’m not going anywhere I promise you.”   
JJ slowly started to relax into Emily’s arms as Emily held her and started to play with her hair in a soothing way and humming softly in her ear. Emily wasn’t sure why she thought it would help but she was glad it was and she wasn’t going to stop until JJ had stopped crying or fallen asleep, whichever happened first. JJ was still clinging to Emily when she finally started to calm down a little, her sobs became more hiccup like and instead of her nose streaming with snot, she was just sniffing now. Emily continued to hum softly and play with her hair until her body gave in to the exhaustion crying had bought on. The hiccups subsided and JJ’s breathing started to even out as she fell asleep. Emily shifted a little so that she was laying back on the couch with JJ snuggled into her, her head resting on Emily’s chest as she slept. Emily must have dozed off again herself as the next thing she was aware of was her mobile ringing.  
“Ello?” She said sleepily, not bothering to check the caller I.D before she answered.   
“Mommy?” A small voice floated down the line. “Mommy, why oo no ere?”  
“Hi baby girl.” Emily said, smiling a little even though she knew Fia couldn’t see her. “Where’s Hotch baby?” She heard a rustling on the line and she assumed the phone had changed hands.  
“Hey Emily.” Hotch’s voice came down the line. “Sorry Fia missed you and wanted to hear your voice.”  
“That’s ok Hotch, I’d let her talk to JJ but she’s sleeping at the moment.” Emily replied, stroking JJ’s blonde hair.   
“That’s fine, how are you both holding up?” Hotch asked. “Did everything go ok over with the Navy guys?”  
“We’re a little frustrated with the situation and not being able to protect Fia ourselves but other than that we’re doing ok.” Emily said. “Things went well with Agent Gibbs, he had our numbers and he promised to call us if there were any new leads, he also said that when they bring this bastard in we get first crack at interrogating him, although I’m not sure if he meant us in the sense of the BAU or us in the sense of me and JJ.”  
“I’m glad things went well and I’m sorry you are both frustrated, it’s understandable, however there’s not much we can do to change that at the moment.” Hotch said sympathetically.  
“Any more news on when we can Fia and how it’s going to work?” Emily asked. Biting her lip as she waited anxiously for the answer  
“Sadly not yet Emily, there are still a few logistical problems we have to figure out first, but for now you can call her every evening to read her a bedtime story as I think that may well be the only way to get her to settle on a regular basis.” Hotch said honestly. “She settled ok yesterday but I think we wore her out.”  
“Ok I think we can both cope with that for now.” Emily said, glad that they weren’t going to be restricted to nothing. “Though JJ may not think the same when I tell her.”   
“Tell me what?” JJ mumbled, only just now starting to wake up.   
“Hotch I’m putting you on speaker.” Emily said, pressing the button to do just that.  
“Hey JJ, I was just telling Emily that you can’t visit Fia yet, however this is a secure enough line for you to call her every evening and read her a bedtime story as I think that’s the only way we’ll be able to settle her down in the long run.” Hotch said, bracing himself for the backlash that the blonde was likely to start hurling at him.  
JJ took a steadying breath before she spoke. “Ok I can’t say I’m happy about it but if that’s what we have to work with then so be it.”  
Emily smiled and kissed the top of JJ’s head. “I’m proud of you baby.” She whispered.  
“Thank you for being so understanding.” Hotch said, knowing how hard it was for JJ to be away from Fia for longer than she had to be.  
“I’m not being understanding Hotch I’m being respectful.” JJ countered, minding what she was saying, not wanting to risk her job. “And with all due respect Sir, I hate this situation more than you can imagine but I will cope with it because I am left with no choice but to do what you have decided as you are my boss and I have to trust your judgement on this situation.” She was still trying to hold back her anger and her frustration with the situation. She wasn’t angry with hotch by any means but she was incredibly angry with the situation as a whole.   
“JJ…” Emily warned, well aware that if she said much more the blonde was going to land herself in serious trouble.  
“No Emily, JJ is right, this is a terrible situation and I want you both to know that the decision I made to place Fia in protective custody and to split you up wasn’t one I took lightly and believe me when I say the second I can guarantee it’s safe for you to be back together then I will be only to happy to hand her back over so that is the case.” Hotch replied, trying to soothe both JJ’s temper and Emily’s concerns.  
“Thank you Hotch.” Emily said after a moment of silence. “We know you are doing your best and our daughter is safe with you, we just wish there was more we could do you know?”   
“I understand completely and I’m glad you trust me to look after Fia while she’s in my custody.” Hotch replied. “And I promise you, if anything happens to Fia you and JJ will be the first to find out.”  
“We had damn well better be the first ones to find out Hotch.” JJ cut in, her temper rising again. “Because I swear to you if anything bad happens to her, me quitting will be the last thing you’ll have to worry about.”

“Ok JJ that’s enough!” Hotch said firmly. “I know you are angry and upset about this and I also know that it’s not me you are angry with however, if you ever speak to me like that again then you won’t get a chance to quit because I will take your badge from you myself.”  
JJ glared at the phone and stormed out of the den, slamming the door behind her and Emily winced.   
“I’m sorry Hotch.” Emily sighed. “This has hit her hard but I’m not sure why.”  
“It’s hit us all hard Emily but I can understand why it will have hit her, and you, harder than the rest of us, it’s more personal to both you for, obvious reasons.” Hotch said, trying to find the words to help the situation not sound as bad as it was. “I didn’t mean to threaten JJ’s job either, I was just trying to get her to calm down a little.”  
“It’s fine Hotch, I’ll talk to JJ in a minute and calm her down, but she was wrong to talk to you like that and I agree that reminding her of the fact that you both can and will take her badge from her was a good idea, however, maybe you could have used a diferent way to try and calm her down is all.” Emily replied. “Though on that note, give Fia a kiss from both of us and tell her we will call her just before bedtime to read her a bedtime story and I’m going to go and have a word with my girlfriend.”  
“You got it Em, tell JJ I’m sorry and that I’ll talk to both of you later.” Hotch said and hung up.  
Emily put her phone down on the couch next to her and pinched the bridge of her nose, she was starting to get a headache and something told her it was going to get worse before it got better. She sighed and stood up, heading out of the den to find out where JJ had gone. She paused as she heard JJ’s voice cursing and shouting floating in from outside in the yard. She took a deep breath and bit her lip before sliding the door open and stepping out into the cool air. She clicked the door shut behind her but she didn’t say anything until JJ turned and saw her stood there.  
“Em.” She sighed, angry tears in her eyes as Emily walked down to where she had stopped her pacing in the middle of the yard. “Em I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”  
Emily didn’t say anything at first, she simply pulled JJ into a hug and held her tightly as JJ burst into tears and sobbed into her shoulder. She just rubbed her back gently and made shushing noises to try and calm her down. JJ clung to Emily as though her life depended on it as her body shook.  
“Jayje, we need to talk.” Emily said softly as JJ seemed to start calming down. “But first let’s get you back in the house to warm up a little yeah?”  
JJ nodded slowly, her voice failing her as she stopped sobbing. Emily held onto her as she steered the blonde back into the house and towards the den. JJ was dragging her feet now, Emily wasn’t sure why, maybe she was starting to tire once more, that second outburst possibly the last she’d be capable of today. Maybe it was the simple fact that JJ didn’t want to sit down and listen to what Emily had to say and if that was the case then JJ was going to be very disappointed with her as she was going to talk to her anyway.  
She sat them both down on the couch and looked at JJ, trying to stay stern with her but one look at her tear stained face and her resolve crumbled.   
“Oh Jayje.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I know you probably don’t want to sit her and listen to me talk to you about this but you have you.” She said.  
“I-I know.” JJ said, looking at Emily and nodding slightly. “I know what you want to say so you can skip the lecture and we can just get right to the part where I say you are right and I’m sorry and we kiss and makeup.”   
“And you also know that that is so not how this conversation is going to go.” Emily said, sighing as JJ tried to wriggle her way out of listening to what she had to tell her. “JJ what you said to Hotch was completely out of order, he may have understood and accepted what you said but that does not excuse you for the way you said it.” 

JJ blushed a little as Emily spoke, she knew she was right, as she had already pointed out when trying to avoid this but her stubborn nature made it so that she wasn’t going to admit it just yet.  
“”JJ Hotch has said he has absolutely no intention of taking your badge from you but he does want that to serve as a reminder that he can and will take your badge if you push him too far but this time he won’t act on it and won’t write you up either.” Emily continued. “But seriously JJ you gotta keep your temper in check, I know it’s hard for you when it involves Fia but you have to try, please?”  
“I-I…” JJ started, but her voice trailed off again and she just nodded.   
“I love how much you love our daughter and the fact you want to protect her is so attractive to me but if you want us to be able to keep her you have to, have to, have to, keep your temper in check, more so when we have to take her to Doctors and specialists who may tell us things that we may not want to hear.” Emily carried on. “Because if you keep kicking off about things the simple things like Hotch trying to keep her safe from the person that held her hostage for God only knows how long and may be trying to track her down to kill her and heaven forbid us as well, then trust me babe, they will not let us keep her in our house and she will end up in some state run mental facility and we will lose all parental rights to her and we will probably never see her again.”  
JJ’s mouth fell open and she blinked at Emily, honestly she hadn’t realized just how much was at stake if she kept turning into an overprotective Mamma bear any time someone said something about Fia or do with Fia she didn’t like or want to hear. Emily put a finger under her chin and gently closed her mouth.   
“Yeah, you see?” Emily said, thinking that now it had probably started to sink in she could wrap up the lecture. “So you gotta stop losing it every time. Lose it in private, lose it behind doors when we’re alone but you can’t lose it in front of other people.”  
“I really am sorry Em, I wasn’t thinking.” JJ said, ducking her head. “If I had realized just how much it may affect Fia and her future with us.”  
“It’s ok baby, I’m angry as well I just can’t let it get to me as much as I’m the one that took her in properly.” Emily said. “I don’t blame you for being angry I really don’t but I’m just scared that it will come back to bite us in the ass.”   
JJ buried her head into Emily’s chest and Emily sighed, starting to play with her hair again. The two women just lay there, trying to find comfort in each other as they did so. JJ was still trying to calm down after her second outburst and Emily just needed the comfort of knowing her girlfriend was there with her.  
Once both of them had fully relaxed the headed upstairs to take the bath that Emily had requested earlier that day. JJ headed up first with the intention of running the bath with lots of Emily’s favourite lavender scented bath salts and lighting some candles. Emily followed her up about 10 minutes later, she had made them both mugs of hot chocolate to help them relax as well, not having any idea that JJ had already run a relaxing bath. As she hit the top of the stairs and made her way along the landing she caught a whiff of lavender floating out of her bedroom with the en-suite bathroom. She smiled as she walked into the room and saw the setup JJ had already and felt her heart swell with love as she nudged the bathroom door open with her hip and walked in.   
“Wow babe, this is just wow.” Emily breathed as she saw JJ stood by the bath waiting for her.   
“Come and join me baby.” JJ purred sensually, pointing to Emily and making a ‘come hither’ movement with her finger.   
Emily let out a soft moan as she glided towards JJ. Their eyes never leaving the others as they finally got close enough for her to do so, JJ pulled Emily in for a passionate kiss.   
Neither woman moved for a while as they continued to kiss sensually, Emily glad she left the hot chocolates on the side before she walked into the room. Emily wound her fingers on her left hand into JJ’s hair as she deepened the kiss and ran her fingers on the other hand up the taller blonde’s sides in the same sensual way that they were kissing. JJ hummed appreciatively at Emily’s touch and nipped her bottom lip gently.   
“Baby if we wanna get in this bath before it goes cold we may want to stop doing this.” Emily said as she pulled back from the kiss and nodded towards the bath tub.   
“Oh but I like kissing you.” JJ pouted, dipping her head a little for another kiss.  
Emily planted a quick kiss on her lips before pulling back once more. “No Jayje, there will be plenty of time for that later, but for now I just want to lie back in the tub with you between my legs playing with your hair as we relax.” She purred. “Then of course once we’ve called our baby girl and read her a bedtime story we can definitely carry on with this.”  
JJ smirked a little and slid into the bath, shifting forward a little to allow Emily space to slide in behind her. They settled back in the tub, just as Emily had described moments before.  
Emily was perfectly happy lieing in the tub, running her fingers through JJ’s hair and lazily kissing her neck as she did so. The moans that came from those simple actions were music to Emily’s ears and she couldn’t wait to continue the preview that started before they got into the tub. Het hand moved lazily down towards JJ’s core as she used her fingers to persuade JJ’s legs to open for her, she then used a single finger to tease her slit, running it up and down JJ’s folds before circling her clit and back down once more. JJ started to moan louder as Emily continued to tease her outer folds.   
“Mmmm please Em?” JJ started to beg as Emily continued her teasing.  
“Please what baby?” Emily purred in her ear, kissing and nipping at her neck.  
“Please stop teasing me.” JJ whimpered, she let out a little whine as Emily withdrew her finger completely and paused her kissing and nipping of the blonde’s neck. “Emmyyyyyyyyy.” JJ whined more, she was the only person that ever got away with calling her that and it was only when Emily was teasing her to the point she was at now. “That’s not what I meant.”  
Emily snickered as she saw JJ visibly squirm in front of her, her body making waves in the bath water. “Oh no?” She purred. “Then what did you mean Jenni?” Much like the blonde being the only one to ever call her Emmy, Emily was the only one that could call her Jenni, in fact she was the only person in the world that knew about that particular nickname as the only other person that ever called her that was dead and had been for some time.   
“Emmy fuck me please!” She almost screamed as her pussy ached for Emily’s fingers deep inside her.  
Emily smiled onto JJ’s skin as she slid a single finger inside her, moaning at the heat she was met with. Due to JJ’s natural wetness and the lubrication from the bath water, Emily’s finger slipped into her easily.   
“Yessssss.” JJ hissed as her wish was granted and Emily slid a finger into her. “More baby please I need more.”   
Emily bit down on her neck and added a second finger, hooking them upwards and making a ‘come hither’ movement inside of her, each stroke now hitting her sweetest spot with each stroke.   
JJ moaned loudly as Emily continued to push her fingers in and out of her pussy, continually hitting her G-Spot. She felt her orgasm building fast as she ground down onto Emily’s hand.   
“More Em, more.” She moaned loudly, starting to pant a little as her breathing became shallow and her orgasm continued to climb, sending her into a more intense state of pleasure. Emily added a third finger, moving all three of them faster. Emily bit down on her shoulder as she did so, wanting to bring JJ to the brink of her orgasm.  
“Cum for me baby.” Emily purred in JJ’s ear as she twisted her fingers slightly in that way she knew would drive her girlfriend crazy.  
“Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!” JJ screamed as her orgasm rocked through her, her body shaking as she catapulted over the edge.  
Emily continued to finger her during the course of her orgasm, slowing her fingers as she felt the end of JJ’s high coming. JJ turned to face Emily and kissed her passionately, causing her fingers to slip out of her.   
“I love you so much Emily.” She breathed, breaking the kiss.  
“Not as much as I love you JJ.” Emily breathed in return, leaning in for another kiss. “Buuuuut the bath water has now gone cold so I’m not so keen on staying here.”  
JJ hadn’t even noticed the fact the bath water around them was now almost freezing but as soon as Emily mentioned it she shivered. “Yeah let’s get out.”  
Both women stood up and giggled as the bath water seemed to evaporate around them, of course it had just been displaced by their bodies and was now simply a pool around their mid thighs.   
Emily stepped out of the bath first, feeling the more stable of the two of them before holding her hand out to help JJ step out of the bath and onto the bath mat. JJ’s legs were still shaking a little from the effects of her orgasm so she clung to Emily to stop her legs from totally giving out from under her. Sensing this Emily scooped her up and pulled JJ’s legs around her midriff before walking them both back into the bedroom.   
Emily’s legs hit the edge of the bed and she fell backwards onto it, JJ falling on top of her and kissing her passionately. Before they could go any further with the hot and heavy make out session Emily’s phone started ringing with the new ring tone she had set up for Hotch’s number to let them know it was most likely Fia on the other end of the line.  
“Hey Princess.” Emily cooed into the phone, clicking the speaker on so JJ could hear her as well. “Momma’s here as well.”  
“MOMMY! MOMMA!” Fia’s voice exploded down the phone. “I MISS OO!”  
“Oh we miss you too baby.” JJ said, already trying not to cry. “Are you being a good girl for Uncle Hotch?”  
“Uh huh I eated all my foods.” Fia replied, nodding eagerly although her Mommies couldn’t see it. “An I membered pees and fankoo.”  
“Good girl.” Emily said. “I’m so proud of you for remembering your manners.”  
“Fankoo Mommy.” Fia replied. “Momma I seepy, I haf nite nite stowee now pees?”  
“Sure you can baby, what story do you want tonight?” JJ asked.  
“Da piggy one!” Fia said.  
“The piggy one?” JJ said. “I think we can do that, what do you think Mommy?”  
“I think The Three Little Pigs is the best choice.” Emily smiled. “Ok baby, are you lying comfortably?”  
“Ess Mommy.” Fia’s voice was a little muffled now, leading both her Mommie’s to believe that she now had her paci in her mouth.  
“Ok good girl.” Emily said as JJ dropped the book into her lap. “Once upon a time, there were three little pigs…”  
Emily and JJ sat taking turns reading the book to Fia, until her breath evened out, a sure sign she was now fast asleep. They heard a rustling and then Hotch’s voice met their ears as he confirmed the fact Fia was now asleep. They continued to talk for a few minutes, discussing various things like how Fia had been that day and trying to work out a solid plan going forward for Emily and JJ to see her on as regular basis as they would be safe doing so.  
After they had hung up the two women settled themselves back on the bed with JJ curled around Emily’s body, Emily’s head tucked back into the taller woman’s shoulder. Neither of them were remotely tired just in a sense of complete relaxation and peace. Neither of them felt the need to talk they just wanted to enjoy each other’s company for the time being.  
A few hours passed and neither of them had moved more than a few inches, shifting positions and swapping a few kisses between them. The peace was broken by Emily’s phone pinging to indicate she had a text message, she groaned and rolled over, groping for her phone on the nightstand and opening the text.  
“Oh it’s from Ziva.” Emily said, sitting up and looking over at JJ. “She wants to know if we want to meet her and Abby for drinks this evening?”  
“That all depends on what time it is now and what time she wants to meet up.” JJ said, she thought she may well have dozed off for a little while as she felt groggy.  
“It’s only eight and Ziva said her and Abby won’t get out of the Navy yard for at least another hour yet so if you want to know if we have time to finish what we started in the bath, get you showered, dressed and hair and makeup done then the answer is yes.” Emily said, rolling her eyes a little and giggling at the thought of how high maintenance her girlfriend could be at times.   
“That’s all I care about.” JJ grinned back, “Having time to do my hair and makeup that is.” She added, smirking and ducking as Emily swung at her.  
“Cheeky bitch, keep that up and that’s all you’ll be doing.” Emily said with a smirk on her face.  
“I’m sorry baby.” JJ said, dropping the cheeky act instantly. “So do you wanna text Ziva back and let her know that we will definitely be up for that and ask her where?”   
“Way ahead of you Princess, I knew as soon as you asked how long you were gonna have to get ready that you wanted to go out, she said they will meet us at the club at around eleven.” Emily grinned. “Now if you want an encore of earlier shut up and kiss me.”   
One hour and several orgasms later JJ’s sexual appetite seemed to sated for now and JJ was now in one shower while Emily was in the shower that was in Fia’s bathroom. Both women agreed that if they showered together then chances were they wouldn’t make it out of the shower in time to meet Ziva and Abby in the club, though Emily argued that with JJ’s track record for taking stupidly long showers it was questionable anyway, but as soon as Emily pointed out that JJ’s shower time cut into the time she had to find the perfect outfit and sort her hair and makeup out JJ had run into the shower and told Emily to come and get her when she had finished in the shower to make sure she wasn’t in there for too long.  
Emily’s breath caught in her chest as she saw JJ’s reflection in the mirror as she turned around. JJ was now wearing a red dress that stopped halfway to her knees and six inch heeled boots that cut off just below her knees, leaving a gap of about 6 inches between the bottom of her dress and her the top of her boots. The dress itself was low cut and formed a perfect ‘V’ shape at the apex of her breasts. She had carefully curled her blonde hair so the soft curls fell perfectly down her back and she was just putting the finishing touches on her red lipstick across her full lips when she spotted Emily staring at her.  
“See something you like?” She purred, kissing her lips together to smooth her lipstick out.  
“I uh, yeah.” Emily spluttered, averting her gaze a little. “Baby you look amazing.” She finished, moving to stand behind her and kissing her neck gently.  
“Well you don’t look half bad yourself Miss Prentiss.” JJ replied, turning around to get a proper look at her.  
Emily herself was dressed in a simple, knee length, navy blue dress, topped off with a pair of navy kitten heels. She had pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail and she rarely wore makeup but tonight she had smokey eye shadow to bring out the brown of her eyes and a subtle pink lipstick.  
“Meh I look ok I guess.” Emily said, examining herself in the mirror. “You look stunning in that red dress, is it new?”  
“No I’ve had it for a while I just don’t wear it often.” JJ shrugged. “It’s been in your wardrobe for months.” She giggled.  
“How did you? You know what never mind, I don’t wanna know.” Emily sighed, shaking her head.  
“Either way, shall we go?” JJ said, checking her watch. “It’s almost twenty five to eleven and it’ll take the taxi ten minutes to get there at least.”  
“Oh crap yeah, let's get going.” Emily said, grabbing her purse and passing JJ’s to her as they both headed out of the door.  
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the club and spotted Ziva with a taller, dark haired girl stood in the que for the VIP area and waved at them before Ziva waved them over.  
“Hello Emily, JJ.” Ziva said, pulling them both into a hug. “This is my beloved Abby Sciuto.” She added, nodding towards Abby who blushed and stepped forward.  
“Hi.” She said, a little nervously. “Ziva was right you are stunning!” She added, looking at JJ who blushed in return.   
“Thank you Abby, I’m JJ.” She said, holding her hand out to the goth who, like her girlfriend had done earlier that day, ignored it and pulled her into a hug.   
Emily coughed and JJ stepped back, before Abby turned her attention to the brunette.   
“Oh I meant no offence.” Abby said quickly pulling Emily into a hug as well. “You are just as beautiful but my darling didn’t tell me that.”  
“Oh I did but as soon as I said the word ‘blonde’ I lost Abby to her own thoughts.” Ziva chuckled, prodding Abby in the side.   
“I swear that’s so not true!” Abby retorted, shooting Ziva a reproachful look.  
“Uh huh, that was Emily’s reaction she first met me wasn’t it darling?” JJ teased and Emily dug her elbow into JJ’s side. “Don’t lie Em, we both know it’s true.”   
“Ugh fine it’s true.” Emily said pouting. “I was totally in awe of her, so I can’t say I blame you.”  
“I think it’s safe to say we all look beautiful yes?” Ziva said, pulling Abby towards to the door. Emily and JJ nodded and followed them as they were shown into the club’s VIP area.  
“Welcome ladies can I get you some drinks?” One of the staff came over with a big smile on her face.  
“Two bottles of your finest champagne and a round of three shots each.” Ziva said, sliding her credit card across the table. “Just open a tab on that.” She added.  
“Ziva are you sure?” Emily asked, she had been prepared and more than happy to pay for drinks for herself and JJ.   
“Please Emily, you are my guests and I am more than happy to pay for all of our drinks this evening.” Ziva waved Emily’s concerns off.  
“Ok but please next time allow me to pay.” Emily said, already feeling guilty knowing the amount of alcohol both her and JJ could drink with little to no side effects.  
“You are already assuming there will be a second double date?” Ziva smirked, winking at Emily. “But of course my dear, if that’s what you want to make you happy then I am happy to accommodate that.”  
“Do you get a feeling our girlfriends are both flirting with each other and trying to prove who had the biggest wallet?” Abby chuckled, watching Ziva and Emily seemingly square up to each other.  
“I think so, I think we may be in trouble.” JJ replied, chuckling as well.

“Well if they go off with each other then we can go off with each other as well, we can share partners.” Abby smirked, looking over at the two brunettes who both seemed to deep in conversation with each other about something so obviously not listening.  
“If you are thinking of stealing my girlfriend Abby Sciuto you got another thing coming.” Emily said, not glancing around. “JJ is mine and I do not share.”  
“Lighten up Em she’s only… ooo shots.” JJ said, sidetracked by the arrival of the tray of shots and a second tray with the champagne and glasses on it.   
The four of them gathered around the table and each grabbed one of the shot glasses and held them up.  
“To the start of a beautiful friendship!” Emily and Abby said in unison and they toasted before knocking the shots back and slamming the glasses down on the table.  
“What was that Ziva?” JJ asked, choking a little as the liquid burned her throat.  
“Do you not recognize Absinthe JJ?” Ziva asked, cocking her brow.  
“Not by taste.” JJ replied, still coughing on the liquid. “I’ve never had this before.”  
“Well JJ’s gonna be trashed by the end of the night.” Emily said, not being able hold back the laughter that erupted from her. “Sorry baby but it’s true.” She added, seeing the look on JJ’s face.  
“What do you mean I’m going to be trashed?” JJ said, indigent written all over her face. “You know how much I can drink and not be drunk.”  
“Yeah but baby Absinthe is crazy strong and even I got drunk on it the first time I had it and I only had one shot of the stuff, we’ll have three by the end of the night plus champagne and God only knows what else.” Emily explained.   
“It’s true JJ, that shit is lethal.” Abby added, nodding her head knowingly. “One time, way back in college, I drank half a bottle of Absinthe and lost two weeks.”  
Emily and JJ’s mouths fell open as they stared at her, Abby just shrugged and Ziva looked incredibly smug and kissed Abby passionately.  
“That’s my girl.” Ziva purred, nipping on Abby’s ear and causing her to moan.   
“Ziva it was years ago and trust me I didn’t do it again.” Abby said, snuggling into Ziva’s arms.  
“Well I lost a day on like one shot my first time out so yeah half a bottle and two weeks isn’t half bad.” Emily countered.  
“Well we can always take bets on how much time JJ is going to lose after three?” Ziva said, still holding Abby in her arms and causing the other two women to smirk and JJ to pale a little.  
“Woah guys hang on, don’t I get a say in this?” JJ asked, looking desperately at Emily who just chuckled and shook her head.   
“Nope, not this time.” She smirked and kissed JJ. “Ok I reckon three shots, plus everything else we can get down her tonight she’ll be out of it for the next week, minimum.”  
“Five days.” Abby said. “I have faith that she’s stronger than she looks and she can hold her alcohol.”  
“Three days.” Ziva offered. “Three days, that’s all it’ll take for you to get it out of your system and you’ll be absolutely fine.”   
“Am I even going home in a taxi tonight or am I booking myself a one way trip to the Emergency Room?” JJ asked.  
“Oh no baby, you’ll be coming home with me, I’ll make sure of that.” Emily reassured her. “Whether you’ll remember it is a totally different thing.”  
“Somehow that isn’t filling me with any confidence whatsoever.” JJ said, her face still a little pale at the thought of what it was she had just gotten herself into. “Either way fuck it, challenge accepted, hit me.” She picked up another shot and knocked it back without thinking about it, to cheers from the other three who then followed suit.  
“I think maybe we should crack open this champagne before we do the last shot of Absinthe.” Emily said, looking at Abby and Ziva who nodded in agreement.   
“I’ll open it.” Abby piped up and grabbed one of the bottles. “Watch this.” She grinned and started to tease the side of the bottle causing bubbles to form and the cork to go flying out over JJ’s head. “Ooops.” She giggled and poured the glasses, handing them out.  
All four of them drained their glasses within a matter of seconds and Abby eagerly poured them all second glasses.  
“Let’s dance.” JJ said, pulling Emily up and spinning her around, Emily giggled and clung to JJ not because she was drunk but spinning always made her dizzy.   
“Come my love.” Ziva said, holding her hand out to Abby who took and jumped up.   
Both couples danced away to the music and occasionally swapped so that JJ danced with Abby and Emily and Ziva danced together but also JJ dancing with Ziva and Emily with Abby. All four of them were enjoying the atmosphere in the club and Ziva made sure the drinks kept flowing, by the time the club closed they’d had another bottle of champagne, several shots of tequila each and more jagerbombs than any of them had bothered to count, in fact all four of them were rather drunk as they spilled out onto the street outside, giggling and clinging to each other to keep themselves upright.  
“Hey why stop now just because the club has closed?” Abby said, her voice slurring a little as she did so. “Why don’t we take this party back to our place, we have plenty of alcohol that we can drink there.”  
Emily glanced down at her watch and saw that it was already three in the morning. “Fuck it why not?” She giggled. “Let’s do it.”  
“I’m in.” JJ agreed, not that she’d have much of a choice in the matter but she wanted to do it anyway.  
“Ok everyone back to our place!” Ziva grinned. “We can all fit in one taxi yes?”  
“Yeah I don’t why not.” Abby replied, stepping closer to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a cab for them all to climb in. “Luckily all the cabbies round here know where I live so if I can’t think properly or am just seriously drunk they just drive me home.”  
It took a few minutes for Abby to hail a cab and they all climbed in, Ziva and Emily getting in with no problems at all and each of them pulling their respective girlfriends in next to them. JJ landed in Emily’s lap and decided that she was perfectly happy being there so just shifted a little to make it more comfortable for both them and snuggled into her. Abby had managed to get in the cab a little more gracefully and settled herself between Emily and Ziva, resting her head on Ziva’s shoulder. They opened the windows wide and let the cool air whip their faces as the cab headed back towards Abby and Ziva’s apartment block. The cab driver had instantly recognized both Abby and Ziva and was happy to blast the radio for them to sing along to at the tops of their voices. The cheesy ninety’s music was playing at almost full volume and the women found themselves singing a four part harmony to several songs from their awkward teenage years, none of which any of them would admit to liking let alone knowing all of the words to. They were giggling away happily and none of them had noticed that they were almost at the apartment building.   
As the others climbed back out of the taxi when they had stopped, Emily pulled out a fistfull of cash and handed it to the driver. “Keep the change and have a good night.” She said, slurring a little but more sober than Abby and JJ.  
“Come on baby I wanna party!” JJ called, waiting for Emily to get out of the cab. “Hurry uuuuuuup!” She whined and Emily chuckled, jumping down from the cab barefoot with her heels dangling from her hand.  
“Yeah yeah alright I’m here.” Emily said, rolling her eyes a little and taking JJ’s hand. “Happy now?”  
“Always.” JJ giggled as she tucked herself into Emily’s side and planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I love you Em, you know that right?”  
“I know baby, I love you as well.” Emily replied, rubbing her cheek a little to get rid of the worst of JJ’s saliva. “Told you she’d be trashed.” She mouthed at Ziva who nodded and hid her giggling behind her hand.   
“Ok let’s get everyone inside before we all freeze.” Ziva said, steering Abby towards the main entrance of the apartment block and inside the building.  
Emily and JJ followed behind them, JJ stumbling a little in her boots as she hadn’t managed to get them off yet but Emily had planned to get them off her as soon as they were in the safety of the flat and JJ was sat down.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The first glimpse Emily and JJ got of Abby and Ziva’s apartment made them both gasp, it looked as though there had been a clash of cultures but it had been done tastefully. The room they were stood in looked as though they were in an Indian style market that had gone gothic for a special event of some sort. The black venetian blinds were coupled with what looked like silk curtains and the couch was black leather with cushions with a mandala effect on them in hot pink, red and orange colors. There was a dark red rug on the floor with a simple glass coffee table over it as well as a few assorted bean bags dotted around the room as well for visitors, or at least that’s what Emily assumed.  
“Wow.” JJ breathed, looking around the room. “It’s… wow.”  
“Very good JJ, good use of words there.” Emily teased, realizing just how drunk JJ must be if she couldn’t think of any words to use to describe the room they were standing in other than ‘wow’.  
JJ stuck her tongue out at Emily and wobbled as she tried to get to the couch to sit on it. Emily lept forward and caught JJ before she hit the floor.   
“Woah ok baby, let’s get you sat down eh?” She suggested, helping JJ to get to the couch and sat down on it. “Sit back, I’m gonna get your boots off.”  
“Hey, hey no sex on the couch.” Abby slurred, winking at Emily. “Unless we can join in of course.” This caused a fresh wave of giggles to erupt from the group as Emily spanked Abby’s ass playfully and winked back at her.  
“We’re going to behave don’t worry, I just need JJ out of her boots before she breaks her ankle.” Emily said, unzipping the blonde haired woman’s boots in a more sensual way than she was intending to and elicited moans from both Abby and Ziva, JJ was now almost out cold on the couch and Ziva ran to get her some water to drink to try and sober her up a little.   
“I think maybe JJ’s has had enough alcohol for now no?” Ziva said, handing the blonde the glass and watched as she somehow manages to instantly spill it down herself, missing her mouth by several inches as her depth perception was off thanks to the rather large amount of alcohol in her system.   
“Yeah water for you now babe.” Emily agreed before seeing the look on JJ’s face. “Well until you have sobered up a little at least then you can have some more.”  
“Ugh moooooooooooooooooooooom!” JJ whined and made another vain attempt to take a drink of water and missing for a second time.  
Emily sighed, shaking her head as she finished pulling JJ’s boots off and moved to sit on the couch next to her.  
“More drinks!” Abby cheered, walking into the kitchen and grabbing several bottles of different kinds of alcohol including vodka, wine and more tequila.  
“Abigail…” Ziva warned, her voice low as she cocked her head in JJ’s direction.  
“Nooooooo it’s fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.” JJ slurred. “I’m fiiiiiiiiine.”  
“Honey you are pissed.” Emily said, matter of factly. “And that’s why you missed your mouth, twice.”  
JJ glanced down at herself, blinking a little, only now just realizing that her dress and breasts were wet where she had gotten water all down herself.   
“Maybe JJ would like to go and lie down for a little?” Ziva suggested gently, looking at Emily.  
“Are you sure?” She asked, biting her lip.  
“Of course it is, a few hours nap will do JJ wonders at sobering her up a little.” Ziva replied, standing up and holding her hand out to Emily to stood as well and both of them helped JJ stand up. JJ was already almost asleep so offered little protest as the two shorter women supported her and carried her into the bedroom, they lay her down in the middle of the bed and Emily pulled the covers over her.  
“Emmy stay.” JJ mumbled sleepily, sitting up and reaching for Emily who was stood at the bottom of the bed.   
Emily looked at Ziva who nodded and waved a hand towards the bed. “Ok honey, I’ll stay for a bit but then I’m going to go and sit in the other room with Abby and Ziva.” She said as she slid in next to JJ who instantly rolled over and nuzzled into her side.  
“Mmkay.” JJ replied, already falling asleep and within moments she was snoring lightly, her breathing even and slow.  
Emily lay there for a few more minutes, just to make absolutely sure that JJ was asleep and that her moving out from under her wasn’t going to disturb her. Once she was sure of that Emily slowly wiggled out from under JJ’s sleeping form and sneaking out of the bedroom to make sure she didn’t wake her up although Emily was almost certain that at the moment even a nuclear bomb wouldn’t and couldn’t wake the blonde woman.  
“She’s out for the count.” Emily said as she came back into the room and settled herself back on the couch.   
“Poor kid, that Absinthe hit her hard.” Abby said, somehow she had managed to sober up a little.  
“Well she won’t remember it in the morning so I think she’ll be ok.” Emily countered, shaking her head a little. “And besides we did warn her.”  
“That’s very true we did.” Ziva nodded. “And it’s not like we forced her to drink that amount of alcohol so in all honesty she bought it on herself.”  
“Of course, so seriously don’t feel guilty about her being passed out in your bed.” Emily said. “I’m just sorry she’s taking up the space.”  
Both Abby and Ziva chuckled. “It’s ok, it’s not the first time we’ve had friends come over and get drink who end up taking a nap in the bed or even staying the night, it’s why we have all the bean bags and stuff out here, that way if we do have a big party and everyone gets drunk we can just have a massive sleepover in here, it suits people nicely and we have a closet full of spare blankets and things.” Abby explained.  
“Well in that case I’m not at all sorry and I’m probably going to leave JJ to sleep for as long as she wants or needs to.” Emily replied. “I’m perfectly happy to hang out here with you beautiful ladies.”   
“Now now Emily, you are spoken for.” Ziva giggled, the effects of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.   
“That’s true.” Emily agreed, also giggling. “But JJ seemed more than happy with the idea of sharing me with both of you so who says nothing can happen?”  
“Woah this took a sexual turn.” Abby giggled.   
“And you are complaining?” Ziva asked, pulling Abby into her lap and kissing her neck.  
“No, no, just find it amusing.” Abby replied, letting out a soft gasp as she felt the kiss on her neck. “Though if you keep doing that we may end up giving our new friend here a show.”  
Emily cleared her throat and looked away trying not to get turned on by the idea of watching Abby and Ziva having sex and the likelihood of her being pulled into the middle of it and joining them, her face flushed red and she squirmed a little trying to relieve some of the tension between her thighs.  
“Something tells me that the only complaint we will have from Emily is that she would have to watch us.” Ziva smirked, looking over at Emily, still squirming on the couch.  
“And who said she’d only be able to watch?” Abby smirked as well, also looking to Emily and winking at her. “There’s no way I would be that mean.”  
Emily let out a soft moan as her mind exploded with images of the three of them in various sexual positions, just the idea of Abby’s long, slender fingers buried deep inside her core while her nipples were encaptured by Ziva’s lips was enough to make her want to beg them to do just that.  
Abby got off Ziva’s lap and swayed her hips as she walked over to where Emily was sat and bent over, giving the brunette FBI Agent full view of her voluptuous breasts peeking out over the top of the black leather corset she was wearing to complement the black and red miniskirt she had on that barely covered her ass when she bent over giving her girlfriend the glorious view of her pert ass.  
“Um Ziva? Call her off please?” Emily said, truthfully not wanting Abby to do anything but kiss her.  
“Oh I think the lady doth protest too much.” Abby purred, inching closer to Emily’s face, almost close enough for them to kiss and definitely close enough for Emily to be able to smell her sweet perfume.  
Ziva watched the two of them interact and shifted a little in her seat. The heat between her legs starting to build rapidly at the thought of what she wanted to do to not only her girlfriend and Emily but also JJ when she woke up again and the four of them could maybe have some fun before Abby and Ziva had to go back to work in a few days time.  
Abby smirked over her shoulder as she saw Ziva starting to squirm in the chair. She looked back at Emily, their lips now millimeters apart from each other but neither brave enough to close the gap just yet. Emily’s breathing was shallow as she stared into Abby’s light green eyes, shadowed with a darker green because of both lust and the alcohol coursing through her veins.  
“For the love of God will you just kiss her already?” Ziva groaned, her sexual frustration threatening to bubble over.  
Abby giggled and finally closed the gap between her and Emily and kissed her slowly. Emily’s breath left her chest as Abby kissed her, her eyes fluttering closed as she kissed her back, her hand coming up to cup her cheek as they continued to kiss for several seconds. Abby was the first to break the kiss so they could come up for air and she rested her forehead against Emily’s as she breathed slowly.  
“Wow.” Emily whispered before closing the gap and kissing her once more, kissing Abby was unlike kissing JJ, it was totally different in ways that Emily couldn’t even begin to describe. It wasn’t that kissing Abby made her not like kissing JJ, far from it in fact, nor was it a case of kissing Abby made her want to kiss JJ more, she was a little confused as what her brain was now telling was to kiss Abby passionately, move her away, plant a firm and passionate kiss on Ziva’s lips before going to wake JJ and bring her out to enjoy the fun as well.  
“Oh you haven’t seen anything yet.” Abby smirked, turning back and pulling Ziva up before pushing her back down on the couch next to Emily.   
“I think my beloved Abigail is more drunk than she would care for us to believe.” Ziva said, a slight smirk playing across her face she spoke.  
“Go figure.” Emily grinned back. “Why do you say that Abby, what else do you have planned?”  
Abby didn’t reply but winked at the both of them and moved the coffee table out of the way before finding the remote to her stereo and hitting play on it.  
The music that floated over the speakers was slow and sexy and Abby closed her eyes as she started to move in time with the rhythm. Emily’s mouth went dry and a wet patch appeared in her panties as she watched Abby dance. She glanced over at Ziva who was sat there watching her girlfriend intently, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood and Emily smirked and leaned over to kiss her neck, moving one hand up to sweep her hair over to her other shoulder to give her access to the caramel skin hidden by it.  
Ziva let out a low moan at the combination of the sight of her girlfriend starting to do a striptease for them and the sensation of Emily’s lips on her neck. Abby saw what was happening and smirked, Emily and JJ may not have been planning this or even thinking about something like this happening tonight and maybe even Ziva hadn’t thought about it either but Abby had planned it from the second she had laid eyes on Emily and JJ. Emily was watching Abby out of the corner of her eye as she continued to kiss Ziva’s neck, occasionally nipping at it causing the Israeli woman to moan delightfully in her ear. She got to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore and she turned Ziva’s face to kiss her passionately on the lips.  
Abby finished her sexy striptease and made her way into the bedroom where JJ had been sleeping, JJ was lying awake with her face facing away from the door, she sensed someone enter the room and smirked to herself as she realized it wasn’t her girlfriend, she figured it was the goth before Abby spoke to her as it was obvious that she found her attractive from her behaviour earlier that night. She rolled over and moaned as she saw Abby stood there, naked at the foot of her bed.  
“Not that I’m complaining at the beautiful sight in front of me but I seriously hope I haven’t missed the fun.” JJ said, smirking up Abby who grinned back down at her.  
“Oh not at all.” Abby purred. “The fun is just getting started.” She held her hand out to JJ who took it and lead her back into the room where Emily and Ziva were still making out on the couch.  
JJ grinned and snuck up behind Emily, sweeping her hair over her shoulder and nipping her neck before purring in her ear. “Hello Emily.”  
Emily jumped a little and bit Ziva’s lip, drawing blood and pulling back from the kiss. “Hi baby.” She replied, blushing hard as she turned to look at JJ.  
“Oh I’m not mad baby just kiss me like you were just kissing her.” JJ said, pulling her into a passionate kiss, the type of kiss that made JJ go weak at the knees.  
Abby giggled and moved to stand in front of Ziva who pulled the now naked, Forensic Scientist down into her lap so that Abby was straddling her and kissed her just as passionately as Emily and JJ were kissing. Abby was happy to let her continue kissing her for a few minutes before she broke the kiss and pulled back.  
“Either I’m underdressed or all three of you are wearing far too many clothes.” Abby chuckled, causing Emily and JJ to stop kissing and look at her. “Strip, all three of you.” She said, standing up and moving away from Ziva who whimpered at the loss of contact with her lover.  
“Play that song again and I may even do a strip tease for you.” Emily purred, standing up from the couch and moving to where Abby had been standing for her strip tease.  
“You got it babe.” Abby said and winked at her, grabbing the remote and starting the song over. “Dance sexy lady dance.” She encouraged, settling herself on the couch between Ziva and JJ who were both still fully clothed.  
Emily winked at the three women on the couch and started to dance, moving her hips in time with the music as she started to pull her clothing off slowly starting with her panties, pulling them off from under her dress and spinning them around her finger before throwing them at JJ, hitting her in the face and causing the blonde to laugh. Next off came the bra, again appearing from underneath the fabric of her dress and being thrown at the couch, this time it was Abby who caught it and grinned at Emily, still enthralled by watching her dance. She took her time taking her dress off, pulling it up to flash her core before pulling it back down again then pulling it up so more of her body was exposed and lowering it once more until she pulled it off of her head and throwing it at Ziva who caught it with delight. She continued to dance sensually until the song finished when she spun round slowly once and bowed to claps and cheers from her captive audience.  
She sauntered back over to the couch and bent over, kissing JJ passionately as Abby reached over and spanked her ass. “Your turn beautiful.” She purred in JJ’s ear and pulled her up, spinning them round so she had her back to the couch and sat back in it, pushing JJ towards the dancefloor they had apparently created.   
“Same again or do you want something else?” Abby asked, standing up and moving over to the stereo to put her in the perfect place to find a new song if JJ requested one.  
“Hmmm Christina Aguilera, Dirrty.” JJ said after a few minutes. “You got that one?”  
Abby looked through her CD collection and found the album that was likely to have it on. “Got it!” She said, pulling it from the pile and sliding it into the stereo, pushing play before going to sit back down.  
JJ stood there for a moment as she waited for the song to start but as soon as the beat started JJ was like a woman possessed as she started to grind her hips and sung along to the lyrics as she started to pull her panties off, following Emily’s lead but adding her own twist on it as she slut dropped and pulled them down to her ankles before pulling them off and standing up, throwing them at Emily’s face just like her girlfriend had done minutes before. Emily moaned as the soaking wet panties hit her and she got a whiff of just how aroused JJ was. JJ smirked and slung over to Emily, swaying her hips as she walked and planted a kiss on Emily’s moan, both of them moaning into the kiss before she pulled back and walked back to the middle of the room to continue with her routine. She pulled her bra off as the next chorus started and throw it at Ziva who squealed with glee as she snatched it out of the air. Just like Emily her dress was the last thing to come off but unlike Emily she waited until the last second of the song to pull it off and throw it in Abby’s direction. Again the three women on the couch cheered loudly as JJ joined them, sitting herself down in Emily’s lap, kissing her first before turning her head and pulling Abby into a kiss as well. Abby grinned into the kiss before she broke it and eyed her girlfriend playfully.  
“Oh no, no no no!” Ziva said quickly. “I am so not doing that.” She said, shaking her head.  
“Oh come on, don’t be a spoil sport.” Emily said. “We all did it, it’s your turn now!”  
“I am not drunk enough for this!” Ziva retorted.   
“Then here.” Abby shrugged, sticking the bottle of vodka into Ziva’s hands. “Bottoms up.”  
Ziva shook her head and drunk deeply from the bottle, shaking her head before she stood up. “Okay, baby you know my song.” She purred, kissing Abby before moving to the middle of room.  
Abby kissed her back and grinned, jumping up from the couch and sprinting to towards the stereo. She stuck the new CD in the player and turned it up before hitting play.  
A sensual song blasted out of the speakers and Ziva was eternally grateful that the entire apartment was sound proofed as she started to sway her hips.   
“Yeah baby.” Abby called out, watching her girlfriend starting to dance.  
The song reminded Emily of Middle Eastern music as it flowed over her and she closed her eyes for a moment to allow the music to fully take over. Ziva closed her own eyes as she started to dance. Shaking her hips she started to dance more before pulling her blazer off of her shoulders, she was similar to Emily in that she favoured suits or at least slacks and a shirt but she had made an effort for the evening and was wearing one of her three piece pants suits, navy blue to complement her dark hair, eyes and caramel skin. She simply tossed the blazer to one side as she started to get more into the song and started to let go, letting the music take over. The next thing to come off was her shirt, she pulled it out of her pants where she had tucked it in and started to unbutton it. When she finished unbuttoning it she threw it over to the women on the couch but wasn’t paying attention to who caught it. From the giggle she assumed it may have been either Abby or JJ but she didn’t stop to check, she kept dancing as she knew that if she stopped for even half a second she’d lose her nerve and she didn’t want to let the three beautiful women in front of her down. She unhooked her bra, thankful for the front clasp she was sporting, one flick of her fingers and the clasp popped open, causing her breasts to fall free of their silken confines. She tossed her bra at JJ and was pleased to see she had caught it firmly in her grip. With one slut drop her pants were on the floor and she kicked them off to the side as she braced herself for her big finale, as the music started to slow more to indicate the end of the song she pulled at the strings on the sides of her panties and they fell away in her hands and she tossed them in Abby’s face, taking one final turn and bowing as the song ended. The cheers and claps that erupted from the sofa caused her to grin from ear to ear as she went back and kissed each of the women in turn.  
“You did amazing babe.” Abby said when Ziva kissed her passionately. “I should feed you vodka like that more often.”  
“Aaaaand the sweetness of that moment is gone.” Emily chuckled as Ziva pulled back and scoffed at Abby.  
“Abigail, there is a difference between what I will do when we are alone and when we are in company.” Ziva said simply. “I will do a striptease for you any time you ask for it.” She whispered in her ear having leant in close to Abby, causing the dark haired woman to moan.  
“I have no idea what you just said to her Ziva but she seems to be happy with it.” JJ said, looking over at them from her spot in Emily’s lap.  
“I just told her that she has no need to get me drunk if she wishes to see more of this if it is ever just the two of us.” Ziva shrugged.   
“Though thinking about it, why did we all get naked?” Emily asked, not that she cared but she was curious to know why they had seemed to all followed Abby’s lead without bothering to question it.  
“Hmmm so we can do this…” JJ said, slipping her fingers past Emily’s soaked folds and deep into her core.   
“Oh yes, that’s why.” Emily replied, moaning loudly as she was stretched out by her lover's fingers.   
“Lemme try that.” Abby said, leaning over and slipping her own fingers past Emily’s folds and finding her clit, putting a little pressure on it before starting to rub in small circles.   
Emily cried out at the attention her clit was getting as well as JJ’s fingers inside her. “Oh Gods!”  
“Well I do not want to be left out.” Ziva grinned, slipping out of Abby’s lap and settling herself next to Emily on the other side and moving her mouth down to latch onto her nipple.   
Emily let out a loud moan as all three women lavished attention on her body. Her hand found its way into Ziva’s hair as the brunette sucked on her nipple, biting down on it as Emily tugged on her hair causing Ziva to moan against her breast. The sensations that flooded her brain overclouded her senses and Emily was lost in the immense pleasure of the situation. The feeling of JJ’s long, slender fingers stroking her inner walls combined with Abby’s firm but gentle stimulation of her clit was driving her crazy and she felt herself thundering towards a powerful orgasm, her hips bucking up into both of the women’s hands in a vain attempt to gain more friction on her most intimate area.   
JJ and Abby were kissing each other passionately as they continued their joint assault on Emily’s pussy, each loving the feel of her juices that were already flowing freely from her. Ziva moved her mouth to Emily’s other nipple and took it into her mouth, sucking deeply on it as though the harder she sucked the more chances there was of alcohol flowing from it.   
“Oh My God guys please don’t stop!” Emily moaned loudly, her head rolling back against the couch.  
The world seemed to melt away around her as each of the other women increased their efforts and took her closer and closer to the edge of what she knew was going to be one of the most powerful orgasms she had ever experienced. She was seeing stars now and her pleasure was as high as it could be without catapulting her over the edge and she could barely keep her eyes open as she pulled JJ away from Abby’s lips and into an earth shattering kiss in the same moment that her body exploded and her orgasm hit her, sending her pleasure levels into the stratosphere.  
Emily’s screams of pleasure rocked the room as the women refused to let up on their actions, JJ now kissing and nibbling her neck as she continued to finger her. The orgasm was so intense and powerful that by the time they had helped her ride out the peak of it Emily was almost passed out on the couch, her breathing fast and shallow. Ziva was the first to stop her actions and pulled back from her breast and kissing her slowly. Abby removed her fingers from Emily’s highly sensitive clit and put one in her mouth, sucking on it sensually before offering the second to JJ, commenting on the sweetness of her girlfriends cum. After she had sucked Abby’s finger clean, JJ slowly pulled her fingers out of Emily and looked her in the eyes as she sucked her own fingers clean, closing her eyes and moaning at the taste.  
Ziva pouted not liking the fact that she was only one not to be able to taste Emily’s juices and so moved from the couch to kneel in front of Emily and spread her legs, dipping her head and taking a cautious lick of the still dripping pussy. She moaned at the taste of Emily’s cum and started to eagerly lap up everything the older woman had to offer her. Emily’s legs jolted a little with each lick, the nerves in her pussy and clit still heightened from her first orgasm.   
JJ grinned a little and tangled her hands in Ziva’s hair, pushing her face more into Emily’s pussy. Emily moaned louder now, Ziva’s actions enough for her pleasure to start building again. Abby dropped to her knees behind Ziva and pushed her ass up so it was stuck in the air and Abby was able to get to the honey liquid that she knew full well was waiting for her between her girlfriend’s thighs, she bent her head down and began to flutter her tongue over Ziva’s clit causing the ex-mossad officer to moan loudly into Emily’s pussy. Not wanting to be selfish, Emily pulled JJ over to her and positioned her pussy over her waiting mouth, she wrapped her arm around JJ’s hips and pulled her downwards.  
As soon as JJ’s pussy touched her mouth Emily moaned and started to eagerly lick her dripping pussy, drinking down all of JJ’s juices in the process. All four women were being worked up into their own orgasms as they continued to eat each other’s pussies and cause the others climaxes to build as well, the only exception being JJ who was still sat on Emily’s face but leant down and silently thanked God that she had long arms so was able to reach down and settle herself across Ziva’s back as she reached down to slide two fingers into Abby’s pussy. Abby moaned into Ziva’s core, the vibrations from it shooting all the way up Ziva’s body and send shivers down her spine. Ziva bought her hand up and slipped a finger past Emily’s tight ring of muscles and into her asshole, Emily took a sharp intake of breath as she felt the intruder enter her asshole but quickly relaxed and started to moan. Emily redoubled her efforts and started to finger JJ’s pussy as she sucked on her clit, causing the blonde to moan and bite down on Ziva’s ass which in turn caused Ziva to jump a little as she wasn’t expecting it.  
It took less than a minute more for Ziva to reach her peak and started crashing over the edge into her first orgasm of the night, she stopped her insistent licking of Emily’s pussy as she moaned into her core, her legs shaking and her pussy clenching around Abby’s tongue as she came hard, somehow still managing to finger Emily’s asshole even so. The next of the women to fall over the edge into the abyss of pure bliss was Emily herself, the motion of Ziva’s finger in her ass being enough to send her into a second crashing orgasm. JJ was next thanks to a well timed bite on her clit and Emily adding a third finger to her pussy, her walls clenching tightly around her girlfriend’s fingers. JJ moaned loudly and added another finger to Abby’s pussy as she came hard, this was enough to push Abby over the edge and she too came hard, the only difference was her juices that squirted out of her pussy and hit Ziva’s ass and the floor as she bucked herself off of JJ’s fingers and lay back to give JJ fulle view of her beautiful, clean shaven pussy. All four women collapsed on top of each other as they collectively came down from their orgasms.  
“Oh my, wow.” Abby panted, opening her eyes slowly as she calmed herself.  
“You could say that.” Emily giggled, looking down at Abby. “Ziva’s soaked.”   
Ziva herself was laying sprawled between Abby’s legs her eyes rolling slightly in the back of her head, her breath coming in short bursts as she tried to calm down. She let out a breathy laugh as her eyes fluttered open and she was able to look at Emily. “Oh trust me Emily, this is nothing compared to some of our…” She paused for a moment and smirked up at Abby who gave her a lazy kiss. “Previous sexual exploits.”  
JJ shifted off of Emily’s shoulders and looked at both Ziva and Abby before looking at her girlfriend a slight smirk playing across her face. “Oh come on babe, you’ve left me wetter than that after you’ve had a squirting orgasm like that.” She said as Emily’s face went scarlet.  
“Is that so?” Abby asked, cocking her brow a little. “Well that to me sounds like a challenge, what do you think Zi?”   
“I agree, it did sound very much like a challenge to me.” Ziva agreed smiling wickedly at Emily and JJ who exchanged worried looks with each other.  
“Challenge? W-What challenge?” Emily asked nervously, not sure she was going to like where this was going.   
“Oh just a little challenge we can do together.” Ziva shrugged. “Either individually or with our respective partners.”  
“You still haven’t told us what the challenge is.” Emily pointed out. “I’m not entirely sure I want to agree to take part in an unknown challenge.”  
“The challenge is simple, all you have to do is squirt.” Abby chimed in.  
That comment confused both of the FBI agents and they looked curiously at each other before looking back at Abby and Ziva.  
“All I have to do is squirt?” Emily asked, looking for clarification. “Is that squirting into something or onto something?”  
“Well we can figure that out if you agree to take up the challenge.” Abby said.  
“But I don’t know if I can squirt.” JJ said, mildly embarrassed at her own admission. “I’ve never done it before.”   
“Well you can always try and then if it doesn’t happen you can always focus on helping Emily squirt.” Abby replied reassuringly. “That’s why Ziva said that we can all do it individually or with our partners, Ziva isn’t the best squirter so you don’t have to be embarrassed if you can’t do it at all.”  
JJ bit her lip and looked back to Emily. Emily smiled and stood up, holding her hand out to JJ who took it and stood up as well.  
“You can sit this one out if you like baby.” Emily whispered in her ear. “I won’t think any less of you if you do I promise.”  
JJ pulled back and looked at Emily’s face, while Emily looked back at her with nothing but love in her eyes and a soft smile on her face. Of course JJ trusted Emily without question and she knew that Emily meant that JJ didn’t have to join in with anything she didn’t want to.  
“Is everything ok Emily?” Ziva asked, finally being able to get to her feet and slowly walking over to where Emily and JJ were stood, still cuddling each other closely.  
“JJ is just a little nervous.” Emily said quietly to Ziva, leaning over to make sure Ziva was able to hear her without Emily needing to raise her voice much above the current whisper.  
Ziva nodded and backed off wanting to give the couple some more time and space to talk quietly if they needed to. JJ didn’t want to talk anymore though and just needed the comfort and reassurance she was getting from Emily holding her.  
A few moments later JJ pulled back a little and kissed Emily slowly and passionately before turning back to where Ziva had resettled herself between Abby’s legs, her head resting on the goth’s full breasts.   
JJ cleared her throat a little and bit her lip before she spoke, softly her own voice barely above a whisper. “I think I’m going to sit this one out.”  
“That’s ok.” Abby smiled, “We can always skip it all together?”  
JJ nodded slowly, still feeling a little embarrassed that she was possibly ruining everyone else's fun but she needn't have worried as all three women smiled and nodded in understanding. Abby pushed Ziva up from her lap and stood up behind her, both of them walked back towards the couch and took Emily and JJ’s hands to lead them back to the couch as well. The four of them settled down on the couch, JJ was starting to fall asleep in Emily’s arms so Abby and Ziva decided that maybe it was a good idea to put a movie on and start to settle down.  
“Shall we watch a movie?” Ziva said and both Emily and JJ nodded. “What do you fancy watching?”  
“I honestly don’t mind.” JJ said, rather sleepily. “Something cute and can we have blankets?”  
“I’m kinda in the mood for Disney.” Abby suggested to the shock of The FBI agents. “Of course we can have blankets, we have loads of them and do we want hot chocolate and snack foods as well?”  
“Mmmm now you're talking Abby.” Emily sighed happily, nuzzling into JJ’s neck and kissing it. “What about watching Beauty and the Beast?”  
“Really Em? You always want to watch that when I suggest Disney, no what about Cinderella?” JJ suggested and Emily pulled a face.  
“Beauty and the Beast? Cinderella?” Abby scoffed. “No no no, what about Black Cauldron?”   
Emily and JJ both winced at that. “No!” They said in unison.  
“Why not?” Abby asked. “I love that movie.”  
“To this day that movie still gives me nightmares.” Emily shivered. “The Horned King is the only Disney villain that had that capability.”  
“Seriously?” Ziva asked. “With everything you have seen in your job it is a children’s movie that gives you nightmares?”  
“You have never seen it have you?” JJ asked, totally agreeing with Emily that The Horned King was one seriously creepy bastard.  
“In fact I have, it happens to be one of Abby’s favorite movies to sit and watch after she’s had a long day.” Ziva countered. “However I do not see how a children’s movie can give you nightmares as an adult.”  
“I can’t explain it, there was just obviously something psychologically damaging about that movie for me.” Emily said, feeling a little foolish now.  
“Don’t worry about it babe, I still hate him as well.” JJ said soothingly, turning her head to kiss Emily’s cheek. “Either way I don’t think we should watch it.”  
Abby pouted a little but quickly relented when she saw just how scared Emily looked at the prospect of coming face to face with her childhood nightmare. “No ok, no Black Cauldron but I don’t fancy watching either Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella.”  
“101 Dalmatians?” Ziva asked. “That seems like a good option or The Aristocats?”  
“101 Dalmatians!” Emily perked up, grinning broadly.   
“I’m good with that.” JJ nodded and Abby jumped up to put it on before someone changed their mind again.   
“I will go and make the hot chocolates.” Ziva said, standing up. “I am going to assume that everyone wants cream and marshmallows?”  
“Of course.” Emily and JJ said in unison, causing Ziva to chuckle.  
“Do you even need to ask me?” Abby said, raising a brow at Ziva who shook her head. “Good, go and make them and I’ll grab blankets and snacks.”   
“You got it babe.” Ziva smiled and kissed Abby before retreating to the kitchen.  
Twenty minutes later all four women were settled back on the couch, Emily was sat at one end of the couch with JJ snuggled into her side with Ziva and Abby on the other end of mirroring their position, the hot chocolates and snacks were strewn all over the coffee table that had been moved back to it’s original place in the middle of the room. Once Abby was sure everyone was happy and settled she hit the play button on the DVD player and snuggled into Ziva to watch the film. It didn’t take long for JJ to fall asleep, the puppies had barely been born when Emily noticed that JJ’s breathing had evened out and she was starting to snore softly. Emily smiled and looked over at Abby and Ziva who were both fast asleep as well.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29  
Abby was the first to wake up and she stretched a little before looking over at the clock on the wall. She sat bolt upright as she saw that it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon and she was about to wake Ziva when she realized that they didn’t need to be in work at all that day and she relaxed back into the couch.  
Ziva was the next one to wake up having been stirred by Abby’s sudden movements in her lap. She yawned and blinked slowly, her eyes fluttering open. “Abigail?” Ziva said softly. “Abby my beloved are you ok?”  
“Hmm?” Abby said, sleep still blurring her conscious thought. “Yeah I’m ok.” She smiled down at Ziva. “Are you ok?”  
“Why would I not be ok? I have you, we have friends that are beautiful and that we shared a beautiful night with and will hopefully get the chance to spend many more nights with and I woke up without a hangover, which after the amount of alcohol we consumed last night is nothing short of a miracle.” Ziva replied, smiling at her and leaning up to kiss her.

“Shall we leave them to sleep or wake them up?” Abby asked, looking over at the still sleeping FBI agents at the other end of the couch.  
“I think we should allow them to sleep, we can’t be sure just how much sleep they got.” Ziva pointed out and Abby nodded in agreement.  
“This is very true, I think we were the first ones to fall asleep last night so maybe it’s best we do leave them to sleep.” Abby said.  
Ziva smiled and giggled as her stomach growled. “Oh I think my stomach is telling me that I need to eat.” She said. “Not that I’m sure what time it is.”  
“It’s three in the afternoon now.” Abby said, nodding at the clock. “I panicked because I thought we were late for work before I realized we didn’t have to work at all.”  
“Yes Gibbs gave us a few days off remember? He said that you in particular had been working too hard so I was to bring you home and not let you go back to work for anything unless Gibbs called and said it was an emergency.” Ziva reminded her gently.  
It was true that they had been working hard lately, regular hours and overtime hours had all blurred into one and Ziva was sure that Abby had overdosed on Caf-Pow! more than once in the last few weeks so she had welcomed the break and was wholeheartedly intending to keep Abby in the aparment for their entire holiday, minus of course last night.  
“Oh yeah so he did.” Abby said, her mind floating back to the conversation she and Gibbs had had a few days before. “Anyway, I think we should at least start with large mugs of coffee and we can think about food in a little while though I am leaning towards ordering pizza or Chinese food.”  
“I agree, though we had better make two extra mugs of coffee because I can guarantee you that as soon as Emily and JJ smell the kettle they will wake up and want one.” Ziva said, stretching as best she could with Abby still in her lap.  
“Oh of course, I have a feeling that they are like Gibbs, their veins are more coffee than blood at times.” Abby grinned, she slid off of Ziva’s lap and looked over at the pair they were talking about. “Emily I think is more Gibbsy of the two of them.”  
“I am inclined to agree with you.” Ziva agreed. “Emily is very much like our fearless leader and JJ is more laid back but yes I agree that chances are their veins are around eighty percent coffee and twenty percent blood.”  
Ziva stood up from the couch and walked over to Abby before both of them headed towards the kitchen to put the coffee pot on.  
JJ blinked slowly as the scent of coffee wafted from the kitchen and into her nostrils hitting her brain and kicking it into gear. She stirred and woke up, looking around, rather confused as she tried to work out where she was. It took a moment before her memory of the night before came floating back to her and reality hit her, how could she have forgotten what had happened? It had been such a magical night and although it wasn’t planned she had enjoyed it.  
“Jayje?” Emily’s sleepy voice emerged from somewhere underneath JJ’s warm body. “Jayje where are we?”  
“We’re at Abby and Ziva’s house remember?” JJ said, stroking Emily’s hair and cheek to try and wake her up gently. “I think they're making coffee though I can smell it.”  
“Coffee sounds absolutely amazing right about now, I think I’m seriously hanging out my ass.” Emily said, looking around slowly, trying not to panic in the unfamiliar surroundings. “How much did we drink last night?”  
“A lot.” Abby’s voice deadpanned as she walked in carrying two large mugs of coffee. “Good morning sexy ladies.”  
“What do you class as a lot?” Emily asked, taking the mug offered to her. “Mmm thank you Abby.” She said taking a sip of the coffee.  
“Well put it this way, Ziva refused to show me the receipt from the bar tab and we continued drinking when we got back so I can only assume it more than just a few bottles of wine.” Abby said, sitting down on the couch and passing JJ the second mug who took it and took a large gulp of it as though it was the elixir of life and sighing happily.  
“Any idea what we drunk last night?” JJ asked, her voice barely above as whisper. “My head is pounding.”  
“That would be the three shots of Absinthe JJ.” Ziva said, walking in carrying mugs of coffee for both her and Abby. “At least I think it was three, it may have been more I lost count if I’m honest.”  
JJ’s face paled and a slight tinge of green settled on her soft features. Her stomach was churning as she put the coffee mug down on the table.  
“Second door on the left.” Abby said, pre-empting what JJ was about to ask.  
The blonde nodded silently and ran out of the room, desperate to get to the bathroom and find the toilet before the projectile vomit made its way out of her stomach. Thankfully she made it and the sound of her retching and throwing up came back along the hallway.  
Emily stood up and bit her lip, she mouth a single ‘sorry’ to Abby and Ziva who waved their hands dismissively to let her know that there were no ‘sorrys’ needed. Emily made her way to the bathroom and gently pushed the door open, she walked in and saw JJ hunched over the toilet, her face sweaty and pale and the vomit almost flowing like a river as she continued to retch and throw up.  
“Oh baby.” Emily sighed and knelt down next to her. “I’m here JJ I’m here.” She added and rubbed the blonde’s back with one hand while she held her long hair, still in its perfect loose curls, back. “It’s ok JJ, it’s perfectly ok.” She soothed as JJ continued to throw up.  
A few minutes later JJ seemed to stop throwing up and she slumped back into Emily’s waiting arms, tears stained her face now as she panted for breath. “I-I’m…” She started to say but Emily stopped her by putting a finger to her lips.  
“No baby, don’t say sorry, there’s no need to say sorry.” Emily said, cradling JJ in her arms and rocking her slowly.  
There was a gentle knock on the door and it slowly opened as Emily looked around to see Ziva stood in the doorway with a glass of water in her hand. Emily smiled softly and nodded, beckoning her in as JJ closed her eyes once more.  
“Thank you Ziva.” Emily said, taking the glass of water in one hand and placing it on the floor next to them, she shifted slightly so that she was leant against the bath to make it easier for her to hold JJ’s weight.  
JJ groaned as she was sat more upright, still leant against Emily as the smaller of the two women picked up the glass and slowly brought it up to JJ’s mouth.  
“Drink baby.” Emily said softly. “Drink please, it’ll help, just a little sip.”  
JJ moaned as the glass was pressed to her lips and she tried to take a sip, her stomach still churning and as soon as the water hit her stomach she turned her head and threw up in the toilet once more.  
“Ok baby, ok.” Emily soothed, rubbing her back once more. “You’ll be ok, just take more small, slow sips.”  
JJ didn’t say anything but continued to do as she was told, with each small sip she took more and more bile came back up but Emily reassured her that it was a good thing. The water was helping her to clear out the remnants of the alcohol and now she could keep the sips down it was helping her to rehydrate slowly. Emily stayed with her the entire time, holding her hair back and rubbing her back gently. Ziva had left them for a moment before returning with two towels, a smaller hand towel for Emily to use to wipe the sweat off of JJ’s face and neck and a larger one for JJ to use after she had showered, if she wanted to.  
Both Emily and JJ were incredibly grateful to Ziva for her help and Emily told her that they would be back with them shortly but JJ needed to just sit and recover for a little while before she was able to move and take the shower she so desperately needed. She hated being sick and if she was honest she could call it a phobia. She was scared to throw up that she often made herself worse because she would do anything possible to stop herself. Thankfully Emily understood her fears and was happy to do everything she could to help her avoid situations where JJ could potentially throw up.  
“Are you ok to move?” Emily asked after ten minutes. “It’s ok if you aren’t ready to yet just let me know ok?”  
JJ shook her head still not trusting herself to talk yet for fear of throwing up again.  
“Ok baby girl that’s ok, just take your time.” Emily soothed, holding JJ close and whispering in her ear.  
JJ buried her face in Emily’s neck and sobbed, Emily continued to hold her as she tried to calm her down but the more she cried, the more she started to feel sick again. Her body was shaking badly now and Emily was concerned that JJ was becoming cold too quickly.  
“Ziva!” Emily called and Ziva stuck her head around the door, evidently the older woman had been sat just outside it in case she was needed. “Ziva I think JJ is going into shock, have you got some warm clothes she can put on? Or the blankets from last night?”  
“Of course.” Ziva replied nodding, she had to admit she felt rather guilty that JJ had gotten so sick, if she hadn’t have given the blonde woman the shots of Absinthe among other shots of hard liquor and the champagne then it was highly likely that she wouldn’t currently be in this situation. She left the room and came back a few moments later carrying fresh blankets from the closet and handed them to Emily who instantly wrapped JJ in them.  
“JJ?” Emily said, shaking her a little. “Jayje, can you open your eyes for me babe?” When JJ didn’t respond Emily’s eyes went wide with panic and fear and she looked at Ziva. “What do we do?”  
Ziva felt a spark of fear but quickly buried it, the cold, emotionless Mossad officer was starting to surface but it was the only way she would be able to cope with this situation. “I will go and get Abby but you need to keep trying to wake her up ok?”  
Emily nodded slowly, she had no idea what was going on and that was what scared her the most, for her to be in control of a situation she had to know what the situation was she was dealing with.  
“I will be back in a minute I promise.” Ziva said as she turned and hurried out of the bathroom.  
“Jayje wake up? Please wake up baby.” Emily begged. “Please baby I need you.”  
JJ still didn’t move, her breathing was so slow now it was hard for Emily to keep track of it. Emily tried to not cry as she continued to shake JJ gently, trying desperately to wake her.  
Ziva and Abby came racing back into the bathroom worry etched on both of their faces.  
“Has she woken up yet?” Abby asked urgently, Emily shook her head still trying to not let the tears that were collecting in the corners of her eyes fall. “Ok let me see.” She said, kneeling down beside Emily and putting a hand to JJ’s clammy forehead.  
Abby’s brow furrowed as she attempted to find a pulse in JJ’s neck. Emily watched closely, her worry and concern obvious.  
“W-What?” She said, her voice shaking as she met Abby’s gaze. “Please Abby, tell me what’s going on.”  
“זיוה קוראת לאמבולנס" Abby said, speaking to Ziva in Hebrew, Ziva nodded and left the room quickly. “Everything is going to be ok Emily.” She said, trying to reassure her although she wasn’t sure just how well she was doing.  
“Abby please, how serious is it?” Emily begged now, not caring that all four of them were still naked.  
Abby bit her lip and considered her words carefully before answering. “I think that JJ may have alcohol poisoning.” She said, trying to break it to Emily gently. “It’s ok, if she has and we know that for sure then she’ll be put on a drip for a few hours and be given some meds to help her metabolize the alcohol in her system then she’ll be perfectly fine.”  
“Ok.” Emily nodded, alcohol poisoning, she could cope with that. “Ok, that’s not as bad as it could be.”  
Ziva returned a few minutes later talking very quickly into the phone, Emily assumed that it was an operator at 911 until she caught a snippet of the conversation.  
“Yes Gibbs, no Gibbs, yes Gibbs.” She was saying, Emily could only assume that Gibbs had called her on the pretence of getting them to go into work.  
Abby groaned and snactched the phone from Ziva’s hands, standing up and walking out of earshot to fill Gibbs in.  
“Ziva I’m scared.” Emily whispered. “I’m really scared, what if they can’t wake her up? I-I can’t be without her, nor can Fia, oh God, how am I going to tell Fia that her Momma is sick”? With that the tears started to fall and Ziva panicked a little unsure how to handle Emily’s sudden outburst of tears.  
“Do no think like that Emily.” Ziva said firmly, “JJ is strong no? She fought when Greengrass knocked her out, she will get through this and she will be perfectly ok.”  
Emily nodded, still crying and clinging to JJ’s seemingly lifeless body. “Please be ok baby, please.” Emily whispered in JJ’s ear, gently rocking her and still praying that she would wake up.  
Abby came back in five minutes later followed by two female paramedics who completely ignored the fact that all four women were totally naked.  
“Ok so what’s going on here?” The older of the two paramedics asked, kneel down next to Emily.  
“I believe that JJ has alcohol poisoning.” Abby said, kneeling down on Emily's other side, knowing that the brunette was going to need all the support she could get.  
The paramedic nodded and made a note on her clipboard. “Ok so who do we have here with JJ?” She asked, looking at Abby having already sensed that Emily was going to be in no frame of mind to answer any questions.  
“This is Emily.” Ziva said, standing in the doorway to try and give the paramedics room to work. “Emily is JJ’s girlfriend.” She explained, Emily was still in tears, leaning into Abby who had put her arm around her.  
“Hi Emily.” The younger of the paramedics said calmly. “I’m Katie and that is Angie, we’re going to take good care of JJ ok?”  
Emily nodded slowly, not looking up from JJ’s face that seemed to be getting paler and paler by the minute. “Please don’t let her die.” She whispered. “I can’t loose her.”  
“We won’t let her die.” Angie said, picking JJ’s wrist up and trying, as Abby had done minutes before, to find a pulse. “We have a pulse, it’s weak but it’s there, that’s a good sign.” She smiled, trying to reassure Emily. “Everything is going to be ok Emily, don’t you worry, I know that’s easier said than done but I need you to try for me and JJ ok? It won’t do JJ any good if you make yourself sick as well.”  
Emily was starting to shake now as she started to feel just how cold it was in the bathroom, she wasn’t sure if that was the only reason for her shaking but she didn’t want to dwell on that at the moment, JJ’s life and safety was far more important.  
“Ok we need to get a line in her arm and get some fluids going.” Angie said, causing Emily’s head to snap up. “It’s ok Emily, you can stay where you are, in fact you are in the perfect place to help support JJ’s body weight.”  
Katie nodded and left the room to run down and get the IV kit in preparation to get a line in. “Ok I’ve got the needle to get the line in, a warm saline bag and a intubation kit, just in case.” She said, noticing the look on Emily’s face at the mention of the intubation kit. “I promise intubating her is the absolute last resort and at the moment she seems to be breathing ok on her own, not as well as we’d like but she is breathing on her own and that’s the important thing to remember ok?”  
Emily nodded blindly, she was still absolutely terrified that JJ may not make it or may fall into a coma, if that was the case she honestly had no idea how she would cope with that, the thought of not having JJ by her side was one she didn’t want to entertain but at the same time one she knew that she had to keep in the back of her head.  
Katie expertly got the IV line into the back of JJ’s hand and instantly got the bag of saline flowing. “Ok I think we will be good to move her down to the ambulance now.” She said gently, touching Emily’s shoulder. “If you want to get dressed we will wait for you and you can ride along with us, unfortunately there won’t be enough room in the ambulance for all three of you but you are more than welcome to follow behind us in your car.” She added kindly, looking at Abby and then Ziva who both nodded.  
“Thank you.” Emily sniffed, trying to calm down and stop herself from crying but she wasn’t having much luck.  
Angie came in with the stretcher and Emily helped both the paramedics lift JJ onto it before collapsing into Abby’s arm sobbing loudly.  
“It’s ok Em, it’s ok.” Abby soothed, hugging her. “Come on let's find you some of my clothes to borrow and then all three of us can get dressed and we’ll all go to the hospital together.”  
Emily pulled back a little and nodded, wiping her nose on her arm and sniffing. “I-I’m so sorry.” She said, looking between Abby and Ziva. “I didn’t think it was going to be this bad.”  
Abby simply shook her head and got to her feet, gently pulling Emily up so that she was now standing giving her a few seconds to adjust to being upright again before taking her hand and slowly steering her towards the bedroom.  
“What sort of thing do you want to borrow?” Abby asked, sitting Emily down on the bed and walking over to her closet, pulling the doors open and showing Emily what was inside.  
“I don’t mind.” Emily said, a dejected tone in her voice. “Pants and a shirt will do me just fine thank you.”  
Abby nodded and looked through her clothing and pulling out a pair of old sweatpants that Abby had bought a few years back and had never worn coupled with a black t-shirt. She turned and handed the clothes to Emily who took them and stood slowly to put them on.  
“Perfect.” Abby grinned, pulling on a pair of pants and a red and black striped shirt over the top. “Are you ready to go?”  
Emily nodded and smiled weakly at Abby who helped her stand up. “Thanks Abby.” She said softly. “I mean it, thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> “זיוה קוראת לאמבולנס" Hopefully translates to "Ziva, call an ambulance." I did use google translate so it may not be totally accurate.


End file.
